HMS Belfast (Type 26 frigate)

For other ships with the same name, see List of ships named HMS Belfast.

History
United Kingdom
Name	Belfast
Namesake	Belfast
Ordered	2 July 2017
Builder	BAE, Glasgow
Laid down	29 June 2021
Commissioned	Expected 2029 [1]
Identification	F90
Status	Under construction
General characteristics
Class and type	Type 26 frigate
Displacement	6,900 t (6,800 long tons; 7,600 short tons), 8,000+ t full load [2] [3]
Length	149.9 m (491 ft 10 in)
Beam	20.8 m (68 ft 3 in)
Propulsion	CODLOG configuration: 1 × Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine [4] 4 × MTU Type 20V 4000 M53B high-speed diesel generators 2 × electric motors
Speed	In excess of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range	In excess of 7,000  nmi (13,000 km) in electric-motor (EM) drive
Boats & landing craft carried	2
Complement	157
Sensors and processing systems	Radar 3D radar - Type 997 Artisan Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar [5] Terma SCANTER 6000 2D X-Band navigation radar [6] Sonar Sonar 2087 (towed array sonar) Ultra Electronics Type 2150 bow sonar Satcom SCOT-5 satcom
Electronic warfare & decoys	IRVIN-GQ DLF decoys
Armament	Missiles: 12-cell VLS for 48 Sea Ceptor anti-air missiles [7] 24-cell Mark 41 VLS for Tomahawk, VL-ASROC, CAMM or ESSM (quadpacked), and anti-ship missiles. [8] [9] [10] Guns: 1 × 5-inch 62-calibre Mk 45 naval gun [11] 2 × 30 mm DS30M Mk2 guns 2 × Phalanx CIWS Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns (TBC) [12] 4 × general purpose machine guns
Aircraft carried	Accommodation for two helicopters: Wildcat, armed with; 4 × anti-ship missiles, or 2 × anti-submarine torpedoes 20 × Martlet multirole air-surface missiles Mk 11 depth charges AgustaWestland Merlin, armed with; 4 × anti-submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities	Large Chinook-capable flight deck Enclosed hangar Facilities for UAVs
Notes	Flexible Mission Bay Rolls-Royce Mission Bay Handling System

HMS Belfast is a Type 26 frigate of the Royal Navy and the second vessel named after the Northern Ireland capital Belfast. ^{[13] [14]} In September 2017, her name was announced by the First Sea Lord. HM ships' names are recommended by the Ships' Names and Badges Committee before approval by the Navy Board and then the Minister of Defence. ^[15] The preserved former Royal Navy cruiser HMS Belfast (C35) was renamed HMS Belfast (1938) by the Imperial War Museum to avoid confusion. ^[16] She was ordered on 2 July 2017. The first steel was cut on HMS Belfast 29 June 2021 by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. ^[17]

References

1. "In focus: Delivering the Type 26 Frigates | Navy Lookout". 12 December 2022.
2. Chuter, Andrew (9 November 2014). "Britain Struggles With Costs for New Frigates". Defense News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015.
3. House of Lords - Hansard - Defence: Type 26 Frigates, .publications.parliament.uk, 26 January 2015
4. "Type 26 Frigate - Global Combat Ship". Navy Fecognition. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
5. "New navigation radar system for Royal Navy - News stories - GOV.UK" . Retrieved 24 July 2016.
6. "IMO Certified Naval Radar Solution". Terma. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
7. Trevithick, Joseph (20 July 2017). "Everything You Need To Know About The Royal Navy's New Type 26 Frigates". The Drive. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
8. Trevithick, Joseph (13 November 2020). "Canada's New Frigate Will Be Brimming With Missiles". The Drive. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
9. Scott, Richard (4 December 2014), "UK confirms Mk 41 VLS selection for Type 26", Jane's Navy International, IHS, archived from the original on 7 December 2014
10. Allison, George (1 August 2017). "BAE video shows Type 26 Frigate customised for Australia". UK Defence Journal.
11. "£183 million deal for new gun on Type 26 Global Combat Ship sustains 43 skilled UK jobs". Royal Navy. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
12. "In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service". Navy Lookout. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
13. Young, David (27 September 2017). "New Royal Navy warship to be named HMS Belfast". The Irish News. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
14. "Defence Secretary names new warship HMS Belfast in Northern Ireland". Royal Navy. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
15. "Warships", House of Commons Hansard Written Answers, Column 361W, 5 September 2014, retrieved 10 December 2015
16. Young, David (27 September 2017). "New Royal Navy warship to be named HMS Belfast". Irish Times. Press Association. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
17. "Begin Belfast: Prince William starts construction of third new Type 26 frigate". Royal Navy. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.