Bloomberg reported on Britain's plans to replace the destroyer fleet with hybrid ships.

The UK will produce a new hybrid type of warships to replace its aging Type-45 class destroyers. This was reported by Bloomberg on June 28.

"The UK has abandoned plans to replace aging warships with new destroyers and will instead purchase at least six so—called universal warships in an effort to prepare its armed forces for modern warfare," the publication says.

The first deliveries are expected in the early 2030s. Prior to this, Britain had planned to replace the aging ships with new Type-83 class destroyers, but their development was curtailed and the project was abandoned.

The new hybrid class of ships is expected to be developed taking into account the possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) instead of more traditional weapons for the fleet.

"As stated in a statement by the Ministry of Defense published on Sunday, the new ship, reflecting the trend towards using (UAVs) instead of traditional technology, will serve as a control center for unmanned systems in the air, on the surface and underwater," the agency reports.

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The UKDJ portal reported on June 27 that currently the UK does not have a single multipurpose nuclear submarine at sea, all submarines are parked. British experts are particularly concerned about the situation with Astute-class submarines. It is noted that two of them have actually been decommissioned after a long period of downtime, while the other two are undergoing lengthy major repairs at the Devonport Naval Base.

Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Institute for Defense Studies, said on March 23 that London's long-term attempts to save money on the once-powerful Royal Navy had led to the unsuitability of a significant part of its ships. At the same time, extending the service life of old ships requires huge costs to maintain them in working order. Repair costs are rising, and combat readiness is falling.