Netherlands to acquire Finnish littoral assault craft in LCVP replacement programme
The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.
AMSC has received a contract to deliver a high temperature superconductor (HTS) based ship protection system (SPS) to be installed on the US Navy’s future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), the company announced on 30 January.
The contract follows a long lead order from the navy announced in September 2017.
The SPS has been designed to reduce the magnetic signature of a ship, in order to reduce the ability of undersea mines to detect and damage the ship.
AMSC’s SPS reduces the weight of the degaussing system by 90% and reduces energy consumption by more than half that of legacy degaussing systems.
The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.
Saab Kockums was initially awarded the contract to build two A26 submarines for the Royal Swedish Navy in 2015, but the programme has faced delays and escalating costs.
If the foreign military sale request is approved, Germany would be the first country outside the US to acquire the technology, which is currently used extensively by the US Navy.
Satellite navigation is increasingly critical for global maritime defence, and Low Earth Orbit satellites are rapidly overtaking the traditional and more widely used Medium Earth Orbit option as they are less susceptible to jamming or spoofing.
The initial sea trials for Virginia-class SSN 798 conducted by Newport News Shipbuilding division and the US Navy marked an “important step”, but the ongoing AUKUS review casts a shadow over what the progress means for the partner nations.
The US Navy is conducting market research to find AI software products for the Collaborative Integrated Air and Missile Defence Planning Programme.