Thales has concluded Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) for the Mission System and Combat System on the Type 31 Inspiration-class frigates of the Royal Navy.
The company, in collaboration with Babcock and the Royal Navy as part of an international team, finalised all essential factory-based tasks for this programme.
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The Mission System FATs were finished by the end of April 2025, with the Combat System tests following at the end of June 2025.
Thales’s Combat Management System, TACTICOS, serves as the central operational component of the Type 31 frigates, managing sensor control, compiling situational data, assessing threats, supporting decision-making, and controlling weaponry.
With these tests now complete, the next phase will involve land-based trials at a Shore Integration Facility before installation on HMS Venturer, the first-of-five Type 31 Inspiration-class frigates currently under construction at Babcock’s Rosyth facility.
Thales UK Above Water Systems managing director Andy Laing said: “Working closely with our Royal Navy and Babcock colleagues, we are delighted to have successfully completed this critical stage in the development of the Royal Navy’s new Type 31 frigates. It represents another demonstration of Thales’s proven ability to deliver integrated naval mission systems to the highest standards.”
Designed to replace the Type 23 frigates in service since the early 1990s, the Type 31 frigate is a UK-specific adaptation of Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design.
It forms part of the UK government’s 2030 vision for defence readiness against various threats and is being developed as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
These vessels are slated to start joining service by 2028 and will operate alongside Type 32 and Type 26 frigates focused on anti-submarine warfare.
In February 2025, Thales was contracted by UK Defence Equipment & Support to provide maintenance and upgrades for communication systems across the Royal Navy’s fleet of warships and submarines.
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