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Thales Completes Mission and Combat System Factory Tests for Royal Navy Type 31 Frigates

The programme enters shore integration, with installation to follow on HMS Venturer.

Overview

  • Factory Acceptance Tests for the Mission System finished in April 2025 and for the Combat System in June, marking a key contractual milestone.
  • The validated systems now move to trials at the Shore Integration Facility before shipboard fit on HMS Venturer, the first of five ships under construction at Rosyth.
  • TACTICOS will serve as the ships’ combat-operational core, handling sensor control, picture compilation, situation assessment, action support and weapon control.
  • Thales cites automated, rule‑based identification and classification plus an AI core that can run in automatic, semi‑automatic or manual engagement modes.
  • The £2 billion Type 31 programme is delivered by an international team with Babcock leading build at Rosyth, and the integration phase sets up sea trials later in the decade.