A former Royal Navy commander has expressed concerns over reports Sir Keir Starmer could axe a new fleet of warships. Tom Sharpe, who commanded four warships during his 27-year career, said he fears ministers will take the “cheapest option” rather than the best one in the future of the Type 83 destroyer programme.
Reports claim the Prime Minister is weighing up scrapping plans to build the warships, expected to replace the current Type 45s next decade. Mr Sharpe said there is a decision to be made about the programme, as the First Sea Lord pushes for a transition towards a “hybrid navy” comprising traditional crewed ships and drones. Mr Sharpe told the Express he was “55-45” in favour of pursuing the ships, which could cost £2 billion per vessel.
He said ideally the Navy needs a drone to carry out the duties the advanced radar on the Type 83 is expected to do, but that by having a ship, commanders are “in charge of their own destiny”.
“The fewer moving parts the better,” Mr Sharpe said. He added: “We will choose the cheapest option, not the best one, guaranteed.”
Senior military officials say the Type 83 programme would likely be pushed back or axed entirely to accommodate other priorities, such as drones, according to The Telegraph, which broke the story.
The project has reportedly been placed on the back burner amid a funding dispute between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over the document.
It is thought that defence needs an extra £18 billion, and several projects are said to be under threat as part of cost-saving measures.
More money is expected to be made available for defence, but it will still be around £4billion short of what is required, reports say.
The Type 83 guided-missile destroyers are still in the early design phase.
They are due to replace the Navy’s six Type 45s between 2035 and 2038, although it is still not clear how many Type 83s are planned.
The Type 45s are among the most advanced warships in the world, but have suffered from repeated availability issues.
Any delays to the Type 83 programme would likely see their predecessors serving for longer than initially planned.
It comes amid widespread concerns over the state of the Royal Navy, which is increasingly shrinking.
It remains unclear when the replacements for the ageing Type 23 fleet will be ready for operations.