BAE Systems and Umoe Mandal have had a work partnership for more than 2 decades and at the moment the principal shared project is the construction of the TYPE 26 CITY-class frigates for the Royal Navy. Umoe Mandal, a specialist in composites, builds the main mast structure for each TYPE 26, including sponsons, doors, hatches and internal outfitting, as well as bulwarks and life raft platforms. Umoe Mandal assembles all the parts in its yard in Mandal, South Norway, and the masts then reach Govan, in Scotland, on board of barges to be integrated on the frigates in build.
The new partnership agreement is important because the TYPE 26 could soon be officially selected by the Norwegian government as the new frigate for the renewal of the surface fleet. The BAE System’s combat ship is being evaluated against the French FDI, the American CONSTELLATION and the german F-127 designs with the final selection expected sometime this year.
Continued partnership on the TYPE 26 project is only part of the new agreement, however. Geoff Searle, Future Business Director at BAE Systems Naval Ships, has put the focus on the use of composite structures to realize the novel Littoral Strike Craft, an innovative, stealthy and high-speed landing craft that BAE is designing with the Royal Marines’ needs in mind.
The Royal Marines intend to replace the current LCVP Mk5 landing craft over the next few years with a programme known as “Commando Insertion Craft”. According to the latest procurement pipeline released by the MoD (in October 2024), the tender for the CIC should be released in December 2025 with contract commencement expected circa 1 year later, by the end of 2026. £191 million are notionally set aside to design and manufacture an unspecified number of crafts with a programme duration of 84 months.
The use of composites is probably going to be extensive to enable these new boats to achieve the speed, range and low-observable features that the Royal Marines need to restore access to enemy shores in complex scenarios.
The renewed partnership also naturally helps BAE offer industrial return to Norway in exchange for a TYPE 26 selection. The British firm had earlier teamed up with Hamek, which has its yard at Harstad in the north of Norway: depending on the future of the frigates project, BAE Systems will assist Hamek in developing its dry-docking and ship facilities to ensure support and maintenance for the new vessels can be done locally.
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