US and European special operators test Icelandic AI-based solution for marine platforms
Hefring Marine IMAS was designed to optimise vessels’ operation.
Austal has launched the first of 21 Guardian-class Pacific Patrol Boats (PPB), the company announced on 30 May.
The boats are being built under Australia's Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project. The 21 vessels will be delivered to 13 nations from October 2018, while this first boat will be handed over to Papua New Guinea.
The PPBs are 39.5m long with a beam of 8m and a loaded draft of 2.5m. The vessels are capable of travelling 3,000 nm at 12kt, with a maximum speed of 20kt. Each vessel can accommodate 23 people.
Construction work on the second and the third vessels has already begun, while the fourth boat will enter the build phase in June 2018.
Hefring Marine IMAS was designed to optimise vessels’ operation.
The small, unmanned surface vehicle will operate this year in multiple operations and military exercises worldwide.
The contract was awarded to HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division and General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB). As well as for the building of the boats, contract money will also go towards improving productivity at the shipyards, workforce support and other investment.
The approved purchase is for Tomahawk Block IV and Block V missiles, control systems, telemetry missiles and communication and broadcast systems.
The Philippine Navy is fast-tracking its maritime modernisation with new warships, unmanned platforms, and international shipbuilding partnerships to bolster its regional deterrence posture.
Taiwan is strengthening its deterrence against the PLA through an asymmetric arsenal that includes fast mine-laying vessels and domestically developed UAVs.