UK Type 31 frigates will be equipped with MBDA's Sea Ceptor


According to a press release published by MBDA on May 26, 2021, MBDA's Sea Ceptor system will protect the Royal Navy's new Type 31 Frigates under a contract awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence.
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Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 Artist rendering of the air defence missile system Sea Ceptor (Picture source: MBDA)


Sea Ceptor is a world modern naval air defence system. Utilising the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), it offers both world-leading close-in air defence and local-area air defence. The system will allow the Type 31 to protect simultaneously both itself and vessels near it from attack from current and future threats, including high-speed manoeuvring missiles, attack aircraft and fast inshore attack craft.

The new contract includes integration of Sea Ceptor with the Type 31’s systems, along with delivery and installation of ship hardware for the Type 31 programme. Designed and made in the UK, the contract forms part of the Portfolio Management Agreement (PMA), a partnership initiated in 2010 between the UK MoD and MBDA on sovereign complex weapons design and production. The PMA delivers world-beating military equipment for the UK Armed Forces and has secured over 4,000 jobs at MBDA UK while generating savings worth over £1.2 billion.

Sea Ceptor is currently in service on the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates, and will also protect the new Type 26 frigates. The UK Ministry of Defence maintains a common stockpile of CAMM missiles for both the Royal Navy and the British Army. The CAMM missile family has been selected by a growing list of other nations for both naval and land-based air defence.

The Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) is a family of surface-to-air missiles developed by MBDA UK for the United Kingdom. CAMM shares some common features and components with the ASRAAM air-to-air missile, but with updated electronics and an active radar homing seeker.

The Type 31 frigate or Inspiration class, also known as the Active class, and formerly known as the Type 31e frigate or General Purpose Frigate (GPFF), is a planned class of frigate for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy intended to enter service in the 2020s alongside the Type 32 frigate, and the more capable Type 26 frigate.