The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected a warship design developed by a consortium of defence firms Babcock and Thales as the design for the country's future Type 31 general purpose frigates.
The first unit will be laid down in just two years' time and launched in 2023, with the entire class of five frigates completed by 2028 to replace the Royal Navy's aging Type 23 vessels.
Each Type 31 ship is expected to have an average production cost of £250 million (US$312.05 million).
The Babcock Type 31 design was chosen over proposals submitted by two other consortia who had also participated in the tender.
