Strategic Defence Review and spending plans for the Royal Navy

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP), published in June 2026, sets out how the government intends to implement the Strategic Defence Review’s (SDR) vision for the armed forces.

Central to that vision is a “hybrid navy”, combining traditional crewed warships with uncrewed and increasingly autonomous vessels and aircraft. Defending the Euro-Atlantic is prioritised, with the Royal Navy focused on the North Atlantic and protecting critical undersea infrastructure through its Atlantic Bastion plan.

The plan allocates £18 billion to maritime capabilities to 2029/30 and anticipates a further £32 billion of investment between 2030 and 2035.

Funding the future fleet

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) allocates £18 billion to the maritime domain over the four years to 2029/30. The largest programmes include:

• Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigate (£4.1 billion)
• Type 31 general-purpose frigate (£1.6 billion)
• The hybrid navy (£1.5 billion)
• Future fleet solid support ships (£1.5 billion)
• Mine-hunting capabilities (£1.5 billion)
• Underwater warfare (£1.2 billion)

Spending on the nuclear deterrent and nuclear-powered submarines is funded separately through the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) expects to spend at least £32 billion on new maritime capabilities between 2030 and 2035, including completing the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates and building new amphibious ships. The DIP does not provide precise in-service dates for new capabilities.

The DIP announced the end of three ships that were in the early stages of development: the Type 83 destroyer, Type 32 frigate and multi-role strike ship programmes.

Purpose of the Royal Navy

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) said the armed forces’ purpose is to deter threats and be ready for war. For the Royal Navy, this includes maintaining the strategic nuclear deterrent, contributing to NATO defence plans in the Euro-Atlantic region and supporting the UK’s wider international security objectives.

A ‘Hybrid Navy’

To support these roles, the SDR called for a hybrid fleet of crewed, uncrewed and autonomous platforms. The DIP allocates £1.5 billion to this concept.

The hybrid fleet will centre on a new crewed warship, the Common Combat Vessel (CCV), which will coordinate and control uncrewed vessels and platforms. The MOD plans to build at least six CCVs between 2030 and 2035.

Four new types of uncrewed platform are also proposed: missile-launch platforms, underwater sensor vessels, extra-large uncrewed underwater vessels and radar platforms. These systems will be linked through a Maritime Fighting Web, the maritime version of the Digital Targeting Web (still in development, this will link sensors, weapons systems and personnel to speed up targeting decision-making). 

The DIP said that between 2030 and 2035 the MOD will “fully integrated autonomous underwater, surface and airborne capabilities with Royal Navy crewed platforms and those of our NATO allies”.

Atlantic security and anti-submarine warfare

The SDR prioritised defence of the North Atlantic as part of a “NATO First” approach. The Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion plan aims to deter and monitor submarine activity while protecting critical underwater infrastructure, including communication cables and energy pipelines.

The Type 26 frigate will be the principal crewed anti-submarine platform. The UK and Norway have agreed to operate a joint fleet of Type 26 frigates. Uncrewed underwater vessels (the Type 93) and sensor platforms (the Type 92) will supplement these ships. The DIP also includes funding in critical underwater infrastructure protection capabilities and enhancements to RFA Proteus, a specialist vessel that supports the protection of undersea infrastructure.

Air defence, carriers and amphibious operations

The DIP replaces previous plans for a Type 83 destroyer with a hybrid maritime air defence system. This will combine the common combat vessels with uncrewed missile and radar vessels and is intended to replace the current Type 45 destroyers from the mid-2030s.

The MOD also plans to develop a hybrid carrier air wing for the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. This will combine F-35B combat aircraft with autonomous aircraft and drones. An autonomous airborne early warning system is expected to replace the current helicopter-carried Crowsnest radar capability in the 2030s.

For amphibious operations (such as those conducted by the Royal Marines), the DIP ends the multi-role strike ship programme and instead supports the development of new amphibious transport ships with the Netherlands. The proposed vessels are intended to transport troops, vehicles and equipment and operate future autonomous systems. These are expected to be built in the UK to a Dutch design. The DIP indicates that major investment in this programme will come in the early 2030s.

Other capabilities

The DIP continues the Royal Navy’s transition towards autonomous mine-hunting systems, with funding for offshore support vessels and remotely operated mine countermeasures equipment. It also allocates funding for offshore patrol vessels and confirms plans to replace the ice patrol ship HMS Protector. Funding continues for three new fleet solid support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

£1.6 billion is allocated to Merlin helicopters over the next four years. Major investments for an autonomous replacement for Wildcat maritime helicopters will be made in the first half of the 2030s.

Reaction to the Defence Investment Plan

Responses to the DIP focused largely on funding levels and delivery timescales. Opposition spokespeople questioned whether new capabilities will arrive quickly enough to meet current threats. The Public Accounts Committee and external commentators also raised questions about affordability and the practical challenges of developing a hybrid fleet centred on uncrewed and autonomous systems.

Commons Library briefings

In June 2025 the Ministry of Defence published the Strategic Defence Review 2025. Externally led by a former Labour Defence Secretary and NATO Secretary General, the SDR set a “path for next decade and beyond to transform Defence”. A year later, in July 2026, the government set out how the SDR’s vision would be implemented, and funded, in the Defence Investment Plan. The key points of both, and a detailed analysis of UK defence spending, can be found in the following Commons Library briefings:

• Defence Investment Plan: Key decisions: An overview of the main commitments for the armed forces.
• UK defence spending: A summary of UK defence spending, including recent trends, spending plans, and international comparisons of the defence spending of NATO allies.
• Strategic Defence Review 2025: Key points and paper series: A high-level overview of the Strategic Defence Review and relevant Commons Library briefing papers.

This briefing was originally published in November 2025 as “Strategic Defence Review 2025: The Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary”.