Why five Type 31s, and what happened to the follow-on plan?

Why is Britain buying only five Type 31 frigates, and what is the estimated cost per ship?

Roughly £330 million per ship is estimated. The five-ship order is linked to an interrupted drone-command follow-on involving Type 32 and a later CCV competition, with larger British orders advocated.

The five Type 31s are estimated at roughly £330 million each, or £1.65 billion together. A second batch with a drone-command role is presented as the intended continuation, subsequently designated Type 32. The political criticism is that the new government wanted a different programme identity because Type 32 belonged to its predecessor, leading to the later CCV competition. That explanation remains an interpretation of the programme's interruption. A larger British order is advocated, including a preferred force of 12 Type 31s and 12 Type 26s. This desired British fleet is separate from the stated international programme total of five British ships, four for Indonesia and three for Poland.