Britain scraps warship plan and bets on a hybrid fleet

Britain has scrapped plans for what would have been its most powerful warship on paper and is shifting towards a fleet combining crewed ships and drones, DR reports. The British government is urging Denmark to join the approach as it considers buying new frigates.

Denmark’s armed forces are preparing what would be their largest-ever warship purchase: a new series of large frigates. Britain, meanwhile, has chosen to invest in what it calls a hybrid fleet, with fewer large ships serving as motherships for multiple drone vessels.

“We have chosen to invest in a hybrid fleet,” said Luke Pollard, Britain’s minister for defence industry and readiness. The plan includes not only small, fast drones but also large unmanned vessels designed to look much like conventional warships.

The frigates intended to form the fleet’s core are being built at a shipyard in Scotland. Britain is pressing Denmark to adopt the same approach, with Pollard describing the offer as a partnership intended to last for decades and support shared industrial growth and technology.

The shift follows the use of small, inexpensive Ukrainian drones against Russian ships in the Black Sea. The footage has prompted debate among military analysts about whether traditional large warships still have a role.

Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a defence analyst at Nordic Defence Analysis, believes future fleets will combine crewed ships and drones. Drones can provide surveillance and disrupt operations, he said, while warships maintain sovereignty and a presence in a given area. He added that crewed warships would still be needed despite rapid developments in drone technology.

China is also experimenting with motherships that can deploy and control unmanned drones at sea, Kristoffersen said.

Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse, head of the Royal Navy’s fleet command, said the hybrid model combines the firepower of crewed ships with drones that can extend a fleet’s reach. He said five people could operate drones from a container positioned where needed. Unmanned platforms may cost less to build because they do not have to meet the same requirements as crewed ships, allowing navies to buy more of them, he said.

The British proposal, comprising a mothership and three large drones, would cost about nine billion kroner, according to Nick Hine, head of Babcock’s marine division and a former deputy commander of the British Navy. Babcock is competing with companies from France, Germany, Spain and South Korea for Denmark’s frigate contract.

Babcock says it wants to work with Danish companies and build the ships in Denmark. The company is seeking a decision from the Danish government, preferably by spring 2027.

The Royal Navy argues that a closer partnership would let Britain and Denmark share drones and operate more like a single fleet. Moorhouse said the lesson from Ukraine was that closer integration makes it more effective to respond to threats. He compared sharing data between allies to sharing images more easily when both use an iPhone.

Britain’s first of five new frigates for the hybrid fleet is expected to be ready for sea trials in early 2027.