US Navy receives final Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship
The delivery acceptance of the future USS Pierre marks the conclusion of the construction phase for the Independence-variant.
Royal Australian Navy five-inch naval gun. (Photo: Commonwealth of Australia)
Amid broader Australian efforts to enhance sovereign defence manufacturing capabilities, Thales Australia has signed a collaboration agreement with Spanish company Expal Systems to produce ammunition for five-inch (127mm) naval guns and advanced fuzes.
The new agreement includes technology transfer to Australia and intellectual property transfer to ‘support the development of new manufacturing processes that will enable the local production of critical munitions’, Thales Australia explained on 29 June.
Expal and Thales already separately provide the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with ammunition for its five-inch guns, but the new agreement will see the two companies provide improved on-demand access and ‘greater surety of supply’, Thales noted.
In addition, Expal and Thales agreed to an ‘extensive’ R&D programme to give the Australian Defence Force a technology enhancement roadmap for five-inch munitions, with a focus on extending the range, reducing sensitivity and providing a precision strike capability.
The delivery acceptance of the future USS Pierre marks the conclusion of the construction phase for the Independence-variant.
The new Barracuda version has been engineered to perform enhanced subsea and seabed warfare missions.
The nearly $25 billion investment will cover USCG procurement of cutters, aircraft, helicopters, training simulators and Polar capabilities over the next four years.
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) created new units, including five Programme Executive Offices (PEOs), to facilitate and speed up the procurement of new capabilities.
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.