According to a PR published by BAE Systems on February 28, 2023, the company has received a $219 million (GBP181 million) contract to equip the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates with five Mk 45 Maritime Indirect Fire Systems (MIFS).
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Artist rendering of the Type 26 frigate. (Picture source: BAE Systems)
The system combines the 5-inch, 62-caliber Mk 45 Mod 4A naval gun system with a fully automated Ammunition Handling System (AHS).
The Type 26 frigates, the first of which is due to be delivered to the Royal Navy in the mid-2020s, will be one of the world’s most advanced classes of warships, with the primary purpose of anti-submarine warfare.
In addition to its range of advanced weapons and sensors, it will also be capable of countering piracy, delivering humanitarian aid, and disaster relief. As part of the ships’ world-class capabilities, this innovative, automated naval gun solution will help the Royal Navy increase crew productivity, reduce sailor safety hazards, and improve the operational capability of these advanced warships as they deliver protection to the Royal Navy’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent and Carrier Strike Group.
Engineering and program support for the new contract will be performed at BAE Systems’ Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky production facilities. BAE Systems shipped the main equipment for the first MIFS system at the end of 2022 with installation to follow in 2023.
About the Type 26
The Type 26 frigate is an anti-submarine warfare frigate, with a displacement of 6,900 tons and a length of 149.9 meters. Its propulsion system is a CODLOG configuration, consisting of one Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine, four MTU Type 20V 4000 M53B high-speed diesel generators, and two electric motors.
The frigate has a speed in excess of 26 knots and a range of over 7,000 nautical miles in electric-motor drive. It can carry two boats and has a complement of 157, with a capacity for 208.
In terms of sensors and processing systems, the Type 26 frigate is equipped with a 3D radar Type 997 Artisan, a Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar, a Terma SCANTER 6000 2D X-Band navigation radar, a Sonar 2087 (towed array sonar), an Ultra Electronics Type 2150 bow sonar, and a SCOT-5 satcom. It also has IRVIN-GQ DLF decoys.
