[9] The programme, known as the Global Combat Ship, was launched by the British Ministry of Defence to partially replace the navy's thirteen Type 23 frigates, and for export.

[29] Its primary role is to conduct advanced anti-submarine warfare missions while supporting air defence and general purpose operations.

[16] The type is the first naval platform shared between Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom since the pre-Second World War Tribal-class destroyer.

[33] In June 2018, the Australian Government announced that it had selected a modified version of the Type 26 platform as the planned replacement for its Anzac-class frigate.

C2 was to be a more general purpose platform displacing somewhere in the region of 4–5,000 tonnes, and C3 was to be a Global Corvette to replace a larger number of smaller vessels in service, such as minesweepers, patrol and survey ships.

[37] The C3 concept began in early 2004 when the MoD issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a smaller class of ship known as the Global Corvette.

Low running costs and the ability to operate forward in shallow, coastal areas where larger ships cannot were both important.

[39] In early 2010 the C3 variant was dropped in favour of the Mine Countermeasures, Hydrography and Patrol Capability (MHPC) programme.

[42] BAE Systems' original working baseline for the Global Combat Ship design was a vessel 141 metres long with a displacement of 6,850 tonnes and a range of 7,000 nautical miles at 18 knots.

On 2 July 2017, BAE Systems announced it had been awarded a £3.7 billion contract by the UK MoD to manufacture the first three Type 26 ships.

[5] In July 2021 it was revealed in response to a Parliamentary question that it was intended that the Type 26 frigate would be equipped with a new Future Cruise/Anti-ship Weapon from 2028.

During a House of Commons debate on 31 January 2011, it was revealed that Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Turkey had all expressed interest in collaborating on the Global Combat Ship.

[54] In April 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed that the Global Combat Ship was one of three designs shortlisted for the replacement of the Anzac-class frigates.

[58] Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced in June 2018 that BAE had won the contract and Australia would build nine units of a modified version of the Type 26 concept vessel in Adelaide.

During the House of Commons debate of 31 January 2011, it was also disclosed that the Canadian government was interested in collaborating on the Global Combat Ship and that the UK and Canada were in "close discussion".

[64] Indeed, in November 2017, a Lockheed Martin-led consortium put forward their "CSC Proposal", based on the Type 26 design by BAE Systems, for the Royal Canadian Navy's future frigate project.

[12][66] On 21 November 2018 Alion Science and Technology asked the Federal Court for a judicial review of the decision, claiming the winning bid was "incapable of meeting three critical mandatory requirements" of the design tender, including the mandatory speed requirements set by the Royal Canadian Navy.

[67] On 27 November 2018, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ordered the Government to postpone the finalising of the deal to purchase the ships, while the complaint from Alion was investigated.

On 11 December 2018, the CITT gave the government a green light to proceed with the Lockheed contract, but its inquiry into the compliance of the Type 26 with Canada's requirements continued.

[73] The following month, BAE Systems formally made a detailed proposal to the Brazilian Navy, for a package including the Global Combat Ship as well as variants of the Wave-class tanker and River-class patrol vessel.

However, as Norway was reportedly seeking at least one frigate by 2029, the article stated that this would require the Royal Navy to sell one of its early-stage hulls, as BAE is committed to deliver the Type 26 to the UK first.

[16] Located at the stern are facilities allowing for the deployment of rigid-hulled inflatable boats, unmanned surface vehicles or a towed array sonar.

Following a renovation of the Royal Navy's website in mid-2023 the section outlining the Type 26's weapon suite refers to Sea Ceptor being quad-packed into a separate 12-cell vertical launch system, seemingly indicate of an Extensible Launching System (ExLS) outfit for the same number of missiles, however there has been no official information outside of the website to confirm any such change.

[33] BAE Systems announced the award of the Type 26's first seven equipment manufacturing contracts in July 2015, these worth in excess of £170 million.

[87][88] In December 2016, BAE Systems announced the award of six additional Type 26 equipment manufacturing contracts with Detegase of Spain for sewage and water treatment, Salt Separation Services for desalination equipment, Johnson Controls for chilled water plants, Marine Systems Technology Ltd for gas-, weather-, and water-tight doors, hatches, and Rolls-Royce for stabilisers and steering components.

[5] It was also stated in July 2017, coinciding with the announcement of additional contracts, total investment in the Type 26 supply chain had reached £500 million.

[93][94] As a result of the November 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review however, it was decided that only the eight anti-submarine warfare Type 26 frigates would be ordered.

[95] Due to an expected lower cost, the government suggested it may allow an eventual increase in the total number of frigates in the Royal Navy.

All three were named for seafarers that had played a significant role in the early history of modern Australia - John Hunter was an officer of the Royal Navy who, between 1795 and 1800, served as the second Governor of New South Wales;[109] Matthew Flinders was a cartographer who undertook the first inshore circumnavigation and survey of the Australian continent between 1802 and 1803;[110] and Abel Tasman was a Dutch explorer who discovered the island that came to be called Tasmania in 1642.