HMS Duncan returned to Portsmouth today to begin a major refit, becoming the final Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer to receive extensive propulsion upgrades. The work will include the Power Improvement Project (PIP), together with substantial improvements to the ship’s air defence systems.
Duncan was de-ammunitioned at DM Crombie in Scotland last week and will now complete de-storing in Portsmouth before being handed over to BAE Systems for a lengthy upkeep period. As the sixth and final Type 45 to receive PIP, she will have her propulsion system modified with three new Rolls-Royce MTU diesel generator sets, providing greater electrical generating capacity and addressing the class’s long-standing power and propulsion reliability problems.
The refit will also see Duncan fitted with 24 Sea Ceptor missiles in a new silo forward of the existing 48-cell Sylver launcher. This will allow the ship’s main magazine to be devoted entirely to the longer-range Aster 30 missile. She will also to receive the Sea Viper Evolution upgrade, improving the Type 45’s ability to counter ballistic missile threats through changes to the Sampson radar, command system and Aster 30 weapon.
Between June and December 2023 she served as flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean, leading 19 warships from nine allied nations. She covered more than 56,000km during the deployment and spent a total of 270 days away from Portsmouth during the year.
Just five months after returning home she deployed again in May 2024. Originally intended to replace HMS Diamond in the Red Sea, the deteriorating security situation saw Duncan retained in the Eastern Mediterranean, where she provided air defence for US Navy forces. During the six-month deployment she travelled more than 66,600km and operated with 21 allied warships.
Several months of maintenance followed during the first half of 2025, but Duncan has subsequently been heavily employed in European waters. Most recently she spent three months with HMS Prince of Wales on Operation FIRECREST in the North Atlantic and High North, operating around Norway and Iceland and crossing the Arctic Circle.
After returning to Portsmouth in July, Duncan was quickly back at sea. In August she was among the RN ships monitoring Russian warships and sanctioned merchant vessels passing through UK waters before making a defence diplomacy visit to Copenhagen.
The forthcoming refit follows Duncan’s previous major upkeep between late 2019 and May 2022 that was badly impacted by the pandemic. That work included refurbishment of the Sampson radar, replacement of both rudders, changes to cooling arrangements for propulsion and high-voltage equipment and around 40 other improvements covering satellite communications, Identification Friend or Foe equipment and IT systems.
Duncan’s withdrawal will only very temporarily reduce the number of operational Type 45s as HMS Daring is expected to return to sea later this year, while HMS Diamond and HMS Defender remain in major refit.
The table below provides a basic guide to the status of the destroyer fleet at the time of writing.
| Ship | PIP | Sea Ceptor | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Daring | Yes | No | Due to return to sea this autumn |
| HMS Dauntless | Yes | No | At high readiness |
| HMS Dragon | Yes | No | Deployed since March 2026, currently in the Indian Ocean |
| HMS Diamond | Yes | Yes | Mid refit |
| HMS Defender | Yes | Yes | Mid refit, due to rejoin the fleet in 2027 |
| HMS Duncan | No | No | About to begin refit |
Main Image: HMS Duncan returns to Portsmouth on 6th September (Photo: Stuart Rich).
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