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.
Kormoran II minesweepers (such as the first-in-class ORP Kormoran, pictured) are being constructed by the Polish shipbuilding industry, with three more to come. (Photo: Remontowa Shipbuilding)
Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Blaszczak announced on 15 March that a contract for three more Kormoran II-class minehunters for the Polish Navy will be signed before the end of June 2022.
The cost of this procurement remains undisclosed but Shephard Defence Insight calculates a unit cost of $85.5 million per new Kormoran II vessel. This amount, apart from the production and equipment itself, includes R&D costs, crew training and logistics.
The Polish Ministry of National Defence has given no further details about the contracting process for the three new minehunters although Shephard Defence Insight forecasts deliveries in 2025,
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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.
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