How far will the US Navy’s FF(X) design deviate from the Legend-class?
The new frigate class’s focus on modularity, speed to build and enhanced armament align with the priorities of the US Navy’s Golden Fleet.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called 28 November for the country to boost its naval forces as a deterrent against its enemies and hailed the deployment of new ships.
‘Increase your capabilities and readiness as much as you can so that the enemies of Iran will not dare threaten this great nation,’ Khamenei said in a meeting with Iran's naval chiefs, quoted on his official website.
The Islamic republic was confronted by ‘a vast lineup of enemies and rivals’, he said.
Khamenei, quoted in English on his Twitter account, stressed that Iran ‘has no intention of launching a war against anyone’.
But the country ‘should increase our aptitudes so that enemies will fear attacking Iran and threats against Iranian nation will perish’.
He welcomed the commissioning this week of a destroyer and two submarines, all three manufactured in Iran, as signs of ‘ever increasing progress’.
Defence Minister Amir Hatami, quoted by the official news agency IRNA, said two Ghadir-class submarines are to enter service on 29 November and a new destroyer two days later.
Iran considers itself the historic guardian of the Gulf and regularly condemns the US deployment of naval and air forces in the strategic waterway.
The new frigate class’s focus on modularity, speed to build and enhanced armament align with the priorities of the US Navy’s Golden Fleet.
The US Navy is set to invest $30 billion in artificial intelligence, cyber, space and autonomy research and development efforts in FY2026 as the force rethinks how it fights in light of China’s naval rise.
The US Coast Guard is expected to acquire new aircraft, helicopters, vessels and ISR sensors this fiscal year using resources from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Recent developments in France and the UK highlight how autonomous helicopters are becoming central to naval force design as navies seek to integrate crewed and uncrewed systems at sea.
The platforms will be tested in multiple missions to define performance requirements for a coming acquisition programme.
As HII prepares to deliver its latest AI-enabled uncrewed surface vessel later this year, its major UK facility expansion aligns with the UK Royal Navy’s plans for a hybrid fleet.