Naval Warfare magazine: naval SATCOM, vessel leasing and more
Read the latest edition of Naval Warfare for free in our app or on your desktop.
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.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
-
![Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand]()
Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand
Ukrainian intelligence has catalogued more than 20 Russian uncrewed surface vessels, revealing a portfolio weighted towards mine warfare and logistics, with implications for Western naval investment.
