Type 45 Daring class

   The Royal Navy's Type 42 or Sheffield class destroyers will eventually be replaced by the Type 45, also referred as the Daring class. The Type 45 ships will be the largest surface combatants to be operated by the Royal Navy since World War II. It is claimed that the class will provide an air defence capability 'several orders of magnitude' greater than that offered by the Sheffield class.

   The Type 42 class was originally to be replaced by a joint Anglo-French-Italian project called 'Project Horizon'. However, this initiative was beset with delays. When the project stalled, the US Navy offered to lease to the Royal Navy five Ticonderoga class Aegis cruisers, however this offer was declined. In 1999, the Royal Navy decided to commence the development of the Type 45 class. The first ship, HMS Daring, entered service in 2009.

   Several features will be incorporated into the Daring class, which were earmarked for the ill-fated Project Horizon. These include some of the internal architecture of the ship, and the Principal Anti-Aircraft Missile System (PAAMS). PAAMS will strengthen the Type 45's air defence capability, and will incorporate the Aster 30 missile, which has a range of 80 km. The system can intercept super-agile missiles fitted with re-attack modes, together with the full envelope of current and anticipated air threats. Furthermore, the ship can engage missile threats operating either individually or in salvos. In addition to PAAMS, it is hoped that the Daring class will eventually deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.

   While Type 45 is expected to have cheaper operating overheads than Type 42, the cost of its individual spare parts could be slightly higher, although the ships will field a smaller complement of crew and officers. The ships will feature a comprehensive suite of sensors. An S1850M radar will provide wide-area, long-range search. This will be reinforced by an MFS-7000 bow-mounted sonar. Air defence combat management will be co-ordinated by the Sampson radar system, combining surveillance and tracking roles in a single system. This can detect and track hostile aircraft or missiles while providing guidance for the ship's own weapons systems. The ship's sensors will be linked together by the Combat Management System (CMS), while communications with other vessels and satellite systems will be facilitated through the Fully-Integrated Communications System (FICS).

   Ship protection is provided by the Surface Ship Torpedo Defence System. Furthermore, the ship will embark a complement of 60 Royal Marine Commandos with a supporting aircraft. The flight deck will accommodate the Royal Navy's Merlin helicopter, although the ships will initially operate with Lynx. Type 45 Daring class will feature a revolutionary WR-21 advanced gas turbine engine which will afford significant cost savings. The engines will feature an Integrated Electric Propulsion System, which eliminates the gearbox and increases fuel efficiency.

   The ship's interior has been designed with 'room for growth' as a major consideration. While the ship's complement will include around 190 crew, there will be the option to increase this to 235. This will permit the accommodation of specialist personnel, which will allow for an increased range of missions, such as humanitarian relief, to be performed.

   In total, six Type 45 vessels will be built. HMS Daring will be followed by HMS Dauntless and HMS Diamond in 2010. These original vessels will be followed by another three ships: HMS Dragon, HMS Defender and HMS Duncan. The Navy may commission a further six ships, leading to total class of 12 units. The original production contract was placed with Marconi Electronic Systems (now BAE Systems) as the prime contractor. All of the vessels will be assembled and launched at BAE's facilities at Yarrow.

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