Broadsword-class (Type 22)

The Type 22 frigate, also designated the Broadsword class, originated from a 1966 reappraisal of the Royal Navy surface fleet following the cancellation of the CVA-01 aircraft carrier program. Developed as a successor to the Type 12 Leander class, the design process was influenced by the prioritization of the Type 42 destroyer and the interim Type 21 frigate. The first order was placed in 1972 with Yarrow Shipbuilders.

Initially designed as specialist anti-submarine warfare vessels for NATO operations, the class evolved into general-purpose warships. Construction occurred in three batches. The first vessels were the first Royal Navy frigates designed without a large-calibre main gun, instead utilizing Exocet missiles and Sea Wolf missile launchers for surface and air defense. Batch 2 ships featured a lengthened hull and a sharply raked stem. These units introduced a computer-assisted command system and electronic warfare suites for the interception of communications. The Batch 3 design incorporated modifications based on experiences during the Falklands War, resulting in a weapons configuration optimized for general warfare. This update included the addition of a main gun, Harpoon missiles, and a Goalkeeper close-in weapon system. Propulsion transitioned from a combined gas turbine or gas turbine arrangement in early vessels to a combined gas turbine and gas turbine configuration in later ships. The class featured enhanced command and coordination facilities, supporting their use as task group flagships.

The class entered service in 1979, with 14 vessels completed. During the Cold War, the ships operated in the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap to monitor Soviet naval movements. HMS Broadsword and HMS Brilliant saw active service in the Falklands War, and subsequent orders for the class served as replacements for vessels lost during that conflict. The Royal Navy began withdrawing the class from service in the late 1990s, with the final vessel, HMS Cornwall, retiring in 2011. Several ships were transferred to international navies; the Brazilian Navy acquired Batch 1 vessels, while Romania and Chile purchased Batch 2 units. Retired vessels were disposed of through scrapping or used as targets in sinking exercises.