VT Shipbuilding will unveil a design tailored to meet the lower end of the U.K. Royal Navy's (RN's) projected Future Surface Combatant (FSC) program, reports said.
It is expected to outline a financing and support strategy based on previous experience of leasing ships to the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The FSC program is intended to recapitalize the RN's frigate and minor war vessel fleet out to 2035. Under current plans, the programme is expected to comprise three tiers of ships - known as C1, C2 and C3 - to replace the RN's Type 22 and Type 23 frigates, plus legacy mine-countermeasures (MCM) vessels and survey ships.
VT is unveiling its new C3 Ocean-Capable Patrol Vessel (OCPV) design at the DSEi 2007 exhibition in London (11-14 September) and is proposing to introduce the first of the new class into service as early as 2012.
Source: Jane’s