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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 ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
5,700
t
28
kn
9,000
nmi
32
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. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
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.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| 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 |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 138.7 m |
|---|
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| 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.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $320,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 0 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
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
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Navantia 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.
