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Warship

United Kingdom In development

Babcock International Group

Type 31 Inspiration

General-purpose Royal Navy frigate based on the Danish Iver Huitfeldt design, built by Babcock at Rosyth to deliver a lower-cost complement to the Type 26 fleet. Five ships are on order to replace the general-purpose role previously filled by Type 23 frigates.

Planned service entry 2027 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗

Data confidence Last verified 2026-07-02 ·

Stub · 17%

5,700

9,000

nmi

VLS

106

crew

💲 ≈ $320,000,000, Approximate per-ship program cost

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

UK export-licensed

Subject to UK SPIRE licensing (ECJU); generally available to allied states.

Channel: Government-to-government or direct

Development status

Limited · 1 operator

Planned service entry 2027. Status: announced.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

$800M – $1.1B

Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. Published studies put O&S anywhere from ~55% to ~70% of lifecycle cost depending on platform and method, which is why this is a band and not a single number. How we estimate this →

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

Competitive field

47 comparable systems from 20 other manufacturers

Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: warships built by another manufacturer that share at least one published role with this system. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Type 31 Inspiration can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

Sea Ceptor (CAMM) Harpoon (fitted for)

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.	1× 57 mm Bofors naval gun
VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship, a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.	32 Stronger than 50% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	138.7 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Naval specifications
Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes, the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.	5,700 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.	6,000 t
Beam Hull width at its widest point. A wider beam adds deck space and stability; a narrower one eases canal, lock and drydock access. Neither is simply better.	19.75 m
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.	28 kn Stronger than 45% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.	9,000 nmi Stronger than 89% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.	106
Propulsion plant Machinery type, nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.	CODAD: 4× diesel engines

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.	Terma Scanter 4100 surveillance radar
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.	combat management system, electro-optical fire control

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.	$320,000,000 Top 6% of warships
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	0 Bottom 5% of warships
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	1 Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public Babcock International Group and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals

See how it stacks up

Warship

Type 31 Inspiration Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI)

Naval Group Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI)

View Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI) ↗

Warship

Type 31 Inspiration Mistral class

Naval Group Mistral class

View Mistral class ↗

Warship

Type 31 Inspiration Alvaro de Bazan class (F100)

Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100)

View Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) ↗

Frequently asked questions

What is the main armament of the Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration? +

The Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration's primary weapon is the 1× 57 mm Bofors naval gun.

What is the Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration used for? +

The Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration is a warship typically used for air defense, isr.

How many countries operate the Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration? +

The Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration cost? +

The Babcock International Group Type 31 Inspiration has an approximate unit cost of 320,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.