As few as 50 sailors will be needed for the next generation of British warships, less than half the 105 crew members that are currently required, according to defense contractor Babcock, The Telegraph reported on Monday.
This advancement in technology comes as the British armed forces are facing severe recruitment shortages, with the Navy falling 27% short of its annual recruitment target in the year to the end of March 2023.
Babcock noted existing pressure on, pointing to how crew sizes have already reduced significantly on some ships.
One such example is the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. which can operate with a crew of about 750 – down from the thousands previously needed for vessels of her size.
Babcock's John Howie explained that much "of that's been done… through the highly-mechanized weapons handling system."
He added that the current generation of warships, Type 31, "have a core crew that is much lower than [a previous generation] Type 23. So some of it you're getting through remote monitoring and compartments, some of it through automation."
Plans for the Type 32 were announced four years ago but little progress has apparently been made since then.
Babcock and BAE Systems are among the companies that are expected to bid to build the future warships.
Amid the recruitment crisis, the British Navy is reportedly considering plans to mothball the amphibious assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, according to The Telegraph.
In an additional controversy over recruitment, the armed services are also embroiled in a dispute over diversity, with soldiers told to avoid "Christian elements" in Acts of Remembrance on Armistice Day.
The Telegraph revealed over that weekend the Army is seeking to relax security checks on overseas recruits in an effort to boost inclusion – a proposal criticized by British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, who warned that a "woke" and "extremist culture" was taking hold.