Babcock's Howie on Royal Navy's Type 31 Decision, Capabilities, Affordability 

BBC and Sky are politically motivated amateurs

He is very knowledgeable but his lengthy preambles before a question detracts from the interview. And you can see the interviewees get rather bored as well.

yes like the blocker Jonathan Beale.

@@1chish Not true I heard. I know someone who attends these events and they think this interviewer is world class. His question framing helps them tremendously I am told.

@@JohnnyZenith Of course, being able to ask a detailed question is critical in this domain! The interviewer develops excellent rapport and gets the best results from it.

Good point. Not every mission requires a ship with the big gun A very expensive ship at that. Ships the Brirish Type 31e, the Godwind, China's Type 54, and all the new Russian frigates classes being built are all designed for exports in mind due to its lower cost and modularity. It is like buying a car, you have base model, mid term, high end, and high end enhanced models. Only the European, South Korea, China, and Japan can afford the high end Aegis and Aegis equivalent warships.

Andrew Pizzino but a lack of ships for “high end” missions is not the answer.

Cost and commonality. And best of any ship? Maybe best in class at most.

RN already has 6 x air defence destroyers (T45), original plan was for 8 x T26 optimised for anti submarine warfare and 5 x T26 as general purpose frigates with a bit less kit, so now the T31 is filling the general purpose requirement at less cost compared to T26

@Gar "perhaps the best" it can take out planes, rockets ect. in a radius 400 kilometers, here is her air defense armament • 4 × Mk 41 VLS with up to 32 SM-2 IIIA surface-to-air missiles • 2 × Mk 56 VLS with up to 24 RIM-162 ESSM • 8-16 × Harpoon Block II SSM • 1 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun System CIWS • 2 × OTO Melara 76 mm it has been said from Malaysia (who would also like to buy the Danish version) that it is actually better than Royal Royal Netherlands Navy's De Zeven Provinciën class frigats and German Navy’s Saxon-class frigates and The type 26 frigates I don't know if that's right, and how to decide something like that ?

@Gar correction the frigates have been upgraded. its +500 kilometers They will also be equipped or have been equipped with Tomahawk Strike Missiles but thats not for air defense Outer line of defense with the new radar. SM6 +500 kilometers are used against aircraft and short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles Second line of defense SM2 300-400 kilometers, can also be used against ships. Denmark is part of NATO's missile defense, but instead of placing missiles and radar on the ground, it is on the frigates. That is why they are so heavily equipped After their upgrade, the Russians have threatened to use nuclear bombs against them se link. ist from 2016, www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2016/12/05/denmark_onboard_with_nato_missile_defense_110436.html

@Gar From the beginning, the frigates were prepared to carry the SM2 and SM6, but in the first years they sailed with empty missile firing pipes. but then a new defense agreement was made. you probably don't read danish so i have translated it to the best of my ability Why everything is - if the defense buys both new radar and SM6 missiles, it will, according to Karsten Marrup, bring Denmark into a defense league where only the US is today. "This will mean that our frigates will receive the highest possible level of air defense, namely an integrated air and missile defense, an IAMD," he explains. Australia, Japan and South Korea are also showing interest in acquiring the SM6 missiles. The American missiles are called Standard Missile 2 or just the SM-2. The new defense settlement from January showed that "a number" of precisely this type of missile were to be purchased, while at the same time the process was initiated to ensure that Denmark also buys the more modern SM-6 and some special precision missiles

@Drew Peacock That's what I've been saying we need 3 conventional subs for home waters letting lose our nuclear subs.

@Drew Peacock Are you a defence specialist by profession? From what I understand, surface vessels are far more capable of hunting subs. Surface ships and sub hunting helicopters can cover a far wider area quickly and deploy sonar buoys all over the place. And eventually surface deployed drones. A sub is for guarding under water bottle necks surreptitiously.

@Drew Peacock No, Im not, which is why I write "from what I understand", regarding second hand sources I've read. You on the other write as if you are an authority on the matter. Anything I say, I refer to other experts on the matter. It is not my claim that surface ships are better at sub hunting. So yes, I say that because that is what professionals believe and why the top tier navies of the world produce sub hunting frigates. Not all surface ships are necessarily nosier than subs. The Type 26 UK sub hunter frigate lifts the engine outside of the water. A sub cannot do this. Well, my information is from experts and how sub hunting is conducted. These opinions are not my own.

Drew Peacock not reading that. You have issues. Talk to someone.

Drew Peacock seek personal well being. Even autistic kids can be well adjusted. Drink beer. Be social. Learn some jokes.

Trying to keep Scotland in the union

Helen Lawson Absolutely correct! It was a fucking disgrace what happened in the name of politics.

Bollocks. I'm ex navy and Portsmouth has thousands of navy and civilian naval jobs. We get to build the odd ship here and there. Also your so wrong. I now work for BAE and likely was always late and over budget compared to the Glasgow yards. End off.

Sure cause the South West doesn't already see massive defence spending as part of the life cycle of every RN vessel, don't even mention H&W or Tyneside who could definitely use the support. The Scots built many of our most famous ships, costs and time is dictated by the contract and in fact Type 26 is ahead of schedule for the first two of class. Odd how you're not asking for the nuclear subs to be built and based at Portsmouth though, the cost of which literally blows these frigate programs out of the water on build cost, life cycle cost and tonnage.