UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
Amidst the controversy surrounding Manila’s termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, the Philippine Navy (PN) finds itself in a peculiar position as the service has lately seen a renaissance of sorts.
It acquired its first missile capability following a maiden test launch of Spike ER missiles aboard a Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) in August 2018. In May and November 2019, the PN launched its two South Korean-built guided-missile frigates – the country’s first modern principal surface combatants.
Besides its first missiles, the PN is also reinstating an ASW capability that has long been defunct. In August 2019,
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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.
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.