The Type 26 frigate or City-class frigate is a class of frigate being built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, with variants also being built for the Australian and Canadian navies.[8] The programme, known as the Global Combat Ship, was launched by the UK Ministry of Defence to partially replace the navy's thirteen Type 23 frigates, and for export.[33] Its primary role is to conduct advanced anti-submarine warfare missions while supporting air defence and general purpose operations.[9] The type is the first naval platform shared between Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom since the Tribal-class destroyer.

The programme began in 1998, under what was then known as the Future Surface Combatant (FSC). However, by March 2010, this procurement programme had evolved to become the Global Combat Ship, following the announcement of a four-year, £127 million design contract being awarded to BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships.[34] The design passed Main Gate 1 in early 2015, with the Demonstration Phase starting 1 April 2015. In August 2015 the first long lead items for Type 26 were ordered, with manufacturing then expected to begin in 2016 and the first Type 26 to be delivered in 2023.[35] In November 2016 it was announced that first steel would be cut for the eight Royal Navy ships in summer 2017.[36] They will be built at BAE Systems' Govan and Scotstoun yards on the River Clyde in Glasgow.[37] The contract award to manufacture the Type 26 was announced by BAE Systems on 2 July 2017,[1] with steel cut for the first of class, HMS Glasgow on 20 July 2017 by the then Secretary of State for Defence, Sir Michael Fallon.[38]

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.[39] This will see the Royal Australian Navy procure up to nine Hunter-class frigates, which will be constructed by BAE Systems Australia at ASC's shipyard in Osborne, South Australia.[6][40]

On 8 February 2019, Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough announced that the Canadian government had awarded Lockheed Martin Canada a C$185 million contract to design a fleet of up to 15 warships based on the Type 26 (the Canadian Surface Combatant), with a total program cost of $60 billion. The amount of the contract will increase as the design work increases. The initial design contract is with Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax.[41]