Thales to provide mission systems for the Type 31 Frigate

Thales, as part of Babcock Team 31, has been selected to deliver the digital heart of the UK’s next generation frigates. Thales will be the mission systems integrator for the Type 31 programme, delivering the “Tacticos” combat management system, communications systems and the navigation and bridge system. The T31 general purpose frigate programme will provide the UK Government with a fleet of five ships, at an average production cost of £250 million per ship.

At its height, the programme will maximise a workforce of around 1250 highly- skilled roles in multiple locations throughout the UK, with around 150 new technical apprenticeships likely to be developed. The work is expected to support an additional 1250 roles within the wider UK supply chain.

This will generate new jobs and technical skills in Crawley, West Sussex where the new team has been established. A new naval combat management centre has also been developed to provide a space for customers, employees and end-users to train, test and see how our solutions deliver operational benefits and to continuously gain customer feedback.

Type 31 is a multi-role frigate and will offer the Royal Navy a new class of ship with a proven ability to deliver a range of peacekeeping, humanitarian and warfighting capabilities whilst offering communities and supply chains throughout the UK a wide range of economic and employment opportunities.

The combat management system (CMS) is the central command and decision-making element
of a naval vessel combat system. Its function and performance – supporting sensor control, picture compilation, situation assessment, action support and weapon control – are critical to the operational effectiveness of a naval vessel. TACTICOS technology is used on board more than 160 ships (from small patrol craft to full-size frigates and destroyers) operated by 20 navies.