Britain’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) marks a significant shift in military priorities. Over four years, an additional £15 billion will take spending up to £298 billion overall.

This includes £63 billion to fund nuclear deterrence and £8 billion for future combat aircraft. But its most attention-grabbing headline concerns the maritime domain.

Plans for the Type 83 destroyer to replace ageing Type 45s have been shelved. Instead, at least six Common Combat Vessels will be acquired, to act as hubs for uncrewed systems (drones). Alongside them, more than £5 billion will fund air, land and sea drones and autonomous systems across Britain’s armed forces.

The Type 83 was meant to be Britain’s next great destroyer with cutting edge capabilities. It would have replaced the Type 45 class from around 2035. It would have operated as part of the Future Air Dominance System (FADS).

It was never intended to be a conventional ship. Instead it was to be a platform for maritime air defence, strike, sensing, command and networking.

Early reports described a minimally crewed warship between 145 and 165 metres long. It would have displaced between 6,000 and 10,000 tonnes. Its planned surface role included maritime interdiction and self-defence against small attack craft.

Defences........

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