HMS Formidable (Type 31 frigate)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Formidable.

HMS Formidable is a Type 31 frigate of the Royal Navy and the sixth vessel named after the word formidable.^[11] In May 2021, the names of the five planned Type 31 ships were announced by the First Sea Lord. The names were selected to represent key themes that represent the future plans of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines - forward deployment of ships overseas; operating in the North Atlantic; carrier operations; technology and innovation; and the Future Commando Force.

History
United Kingdom
Name	Formidable
Namesake	HMS Formidable (67)
Builder	Babcock International,[1] Rosyth
Commissioned	Projected late 2028.[2]
Status	Under construction
General characteristics
Class and type	Type 31 frigate
Displacement	5,700 t (5,600 long tons)
Length	138.7 m (455 ft 1 in)
Installed power	4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 20V 8000 M71 (8.2 MW) diesel engines[3] 4 × Rolls Royce/MTU 16V 2000 M41B (900 kW) generators
Propulsion	MAN Alpha VBS Mk 5 controllable pitch propeller, two shafts, CODAD[4]
Speed	In excess of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Endurance	9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi)
Complement	c. 110 (accommodation for up to 190)[5]
Sensors and processing systems	TACTICOS combat management system, Thales NS110 3D radar, Raytheon Warship Integrated Navigation and Bridge System, Terma Scanter and Raytheon NSX navigation radars, 2 Mirador Mk2 EOS, Viasat Ultrahigh-frequency satellite communications[6]
Electronic warfare & decoys	Vigile-D ESM
Armament	Missiles: [32 Mark 41 VLS for various missiles including Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon[7] and Sea Ceptor anti-air missiles;[8][9] "for but not with" as of early 2025, may be added in future capability insertion periods][10] Guns: 1 × 57 mm Mk 110 main gun 2 × 40 mm Mk 4 secondary guns 4 × 7.62 mm General purpose machine guns
Aircraft carried	1 × Wildcat, or 1 × Merlin,
Aviation facilities	Helicopter hangar and flight deck
Notes	Mission bay under flight deck for 6 TEUs. 3 boat bays for RHIBs and USVs/UUVs.

Formidable, named after the World War II-era aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (67), represents carrier operations. Formidable took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan, Operation Torch, attacked the German battleship Tirpitz, and fought against Japan in the Pacific theatre.^[12] The plan for the Type 31 project envisages all five units of the class being in service by February 2030.^[13]

Construction

First steel cut on the new ship took place in October 2024.^[14]