US and European special operators test Icelandic AI-based solution for marine platforms
Hefring Marine IMAS was designed to optimise vessels’ operation.
The US Navy commissioned the Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Manchester, at the State Pier in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 26 May.
The USS Manchester is the 12th LCS to enter the fleet and the seventh of the Independence-variant design. The Independence-variant ships are designed and built by a team led by Austal USA.
Twenty-nine LCS ships have been awarded to date, of which 13 have been delivered to the navy, another 13 are in various stages of construction and testing and three are in pre-production states.
Hefring Marine IMAS was designed to optimise vessels’ operation.
The small, unmanned surface vehicle will operate this year in multiple operations and military exercises worldwide.
The contract was awarded to HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division and General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB). As well as for the building of the boats, contract money will also go towards improving productivity at the shipyards, workforce support and other investment.
The approved purchase is for Tomahawk Block IV and Block V missiles, control systems, telemetry missiles and communication and broadcast systems.
The Philippine Navy is fast-tracking its maritime modernisation with new warships, unmanned platforms, and international shipbuilding partnerships to bolster its regional deterrence posture.
Taiwan is strengthening its deterrence against the PLA through an asymmetric arsenal that includes fast mine-laying vessels and domestically developed UAVs.