A defence Select Committee report has warned that the Royal Navy’s 19 frigates and destroyers could fall unless there is a clear timetable set out for replacing older vessels.
The report examines the MoD's plans to modernise the Royal Navy's escort fleet - including the introduction of two new classes of frigate and the enforced refit of engines on certain destroyers and warned that the low number of ships could ‘lack the maritime strength’ to meet potential threats.
The report also outlined what it claimed were ‘extraordinary mistakes’ in the design of Type 45 destroyers after it emerged they had faulty engines unable to operate continuously in warm waters.
The UK's enduring presence in the Gulf should have made it a key requirement for the engines. The fact that it was not was an inexcusable failing and one which must not be repeated.
"Failure to guarantee this would put the personnel and ships of the Royal Navy in danger, with potentially dangerous consequences."
Defence committee chairman Julian Lewis said MPs were ‘putting the MoD on notice’ to deliver the modernisation programme on time.
He said: "For decades, the numbers of Royal Navy escort vessels have been severely in decline. The fleet is now way below the critical mass required for the many tasks which could confront it, if the international scene continues to deteriorate."
In a statement the MoD said: "This major programme of investment will ensure that the Royal Navy remains one of the world's most modern and powerful navies with a genuine global reach."
