Hanwha Ocean and TKMS are firming up their Canadian next-gen submarine proposals
CPSP competitors are proposing platforms fitted with advanced, next-generation capabilities to be built and sustained in cooperation with the Canadian industry.
The test was described as a major step forward to fully integrate PAC-3 MSE into the Aegis Weapon System. (Photo:: Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin has successfully integrated its Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor with the AN/SPY-1 radar, a key component in the Aegis naval weapon system.
According to the company, the missile successfully communicated with the radar, a project which involved modifying the PAC-3 MSE radio frequency data link to communicate with the SPY-1. Lockheed Martin was required to convert PAC-3 MSE’s existing dual-band datalink to a tri-band datalink to communicate at S-band.
The effort was funded internally by the company and Tom Copeman, VP, naval systems, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said the test was a major step forward and 'the PAC-3 MSE/Aegis integration delivers a hardened defence to maritime fleets on an affordable, rapid timeline’.
Patriot missile integration into Mk41 VLS boosts Aegis air defence capabilities
The company states that the PAC-3 MSE programme is ramping up to 550 MSEs a year, with plans to continue growing using a substantially expanded facility opened in Camden, Arkansas in 2022.
Shephard Defence Insight lists the missile as in- service with 13 countries with more than 1,700 ordered by the US and hundreds by Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and the UAE. More than 4,260 have been ordered in total and almost 1,500 delivered.
CPSP competitors are proposing platforms fitted with advanced, next-generation capabilities to be built and sustained in cooperation with the Canadian industry.
While their multibillion-dollar nuclear submarine ambitions move forward at a glacial industrial pace, all three countries are making a swifter bet: fleets of uncrewed vessels that can be built, deployed and iterated in years rather than decades.
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
The USCG plans to award a contract this year for the construction of Homeland Security Cutters. The new vessels will replace the 60-plus-year-old fleet of Light Icebreaking Tugs.
The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.