HMS Formidable (Type 31 frigate)

History
United Kingdom
Name	Formidable
Namesake	HMS Formidable (67)
Builder	Babcock International, Rosyth
Laid down	9 December 2025
Commissioned	Projected early 2030s.
Status	Under construction
General characteristics
Class & type	Type 31 frigate
Displacement	5,700 t (5,600 long tons)
Length	138.7 m (455 ft 1 in)
Installed power	4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 20V 8000 M71 (8.2 MW) diesel engines 4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 16V 2000 M41B (900 kW) generators
Propulsion	MAN Alpha VBS Mk 5 controllable pitch propeller, two shafts, CODAD
Speed	In excess of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Endurance	9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi)
Complement	c. 110 (accommodation for up to 190)
Sensors & processing systems	TACTICOS combat management system, Thales NS110 3D radar, Raytheon Warship Integrated Navigation and Bridge System, Terma Scanter and Raytheon NSX navigation radars, 2 Mirador Mk2 EOS, Viasat Ultrahigh-frequency satellite communications
Electronic warfare & decoys	Vigile-D ESM
Armament	Missiles: Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile silos [Mark 41 launch system and Naval Strike Missiles envisaged for future incorporation] Guns: 1 × 57 mm Mk 110 main gun 2 × 40 mm Mk 4 secondary guns 4 × 7.62 mm General purpose machine guns
Aircraft carried	1 × Wildcat, or 1 × Merlin,
Aviation facilities	Helicopter hangar and flight deck
Notes	Mission bay under flight deck for 6 TEUs. 3 boat bays for RHIBs and USVs/UUVs.

HMS Formidable is a Type 31 frigate of the Royal Navy and the sixth vessel named after the word formidable. In May 2021, the names of the five planned Type 31 ships were announced by the First Sea Lord. The names were selected to represent key themes that represent the future plans of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines - forward deployment of ships overseas; operating in the North Atlantic; carrier operations; technology and innovation; and the Future Commando Force.

Formidable, named after the World War II-era aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (67), represents carrier operations. Formidable took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan, Operation Torch, attacked the German battleship Tirpitz, and fought against Japan in the Pacific theatre. The plan for the Type 31 project originally envisaged all five units of the class being in service by February 2030. However, by 2026, the planned in-service dates for ships following HMS Venturer had slipped into the early 2030s.

Construction

First steel cut on the new ship took place in October 2024 and the keel was formally laid down in December 2025.

The government's 2026 Defence Investment Plan indicated that both the Mark 41 launch system and Naval Strike Missiles were planned for future incorporation in the ship, though the precise timing remained uncertain.

References