Naval Warfare magazine: naval SATCOM, vessel leasing and more

What’s inside this edition:

COMMENT: A prelude to the UK CSG in the South China Sea 

Last month, conflicting claims from Russia and the UK over HMS Defender showed how quickly a naval deployment can become wrapped up in geopolitical spats. With the UK’s Carrier Strike Group en route to the Indo-Pacific for the second leg of its maiden deployment, the incident off the coast of Crimea could be seen as a sign of events to come.

Features include:

Messengers of the digital age

The growing use of SATCOM increases connectivity among naval forces but places more pressure on satellite infrastructure, making it vulnerable to threats such as jamming and espionage. Communication must evolve to counter these threats and provide ever-better protection to vessels and crews.

To buy or not to buy?

The cost-effectiveness of naval procurement is determined by the price of buying and maintaining a vessel, with leasing as one method of reducing the upfront investment. Although it is cheaper to buy in the long term, leasing still offers many short-term advantages.

Fostering innovation

The main gun of a warship is the cornerstone of its arsenal. It is a cost-effective solution to challenging sub-peer threats, where a missile would be expensive and unnecessary. However, continual innovation in ammunition is needed to maintain current capabilities.

Finding a niche

The global corvette market is set to grow in the next decade as many nations seek fleet modernisation. It is the only naval market North America does not dominate; instead, Europe and Asia lead the way. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, there is a push for more indigenously built platforms and a move away from reliance on foreign suppliers.

Making waves with AI

As modern conflict evolves, a warship’s bridge is playing a more tactical role. There is now a need for the bridge to act as a sub-command system, leading the response to small threats. Simultaneously, there is a push to reduce the number of necessary crew on the bridge, as AI and other technologies become increasingly important.

Bonus content coming soon.