USN says it needs Virginia option sooner rather than later

More from Naval Warfare

• Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA

  The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.

• Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development

  Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.

• Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies

  A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.

• AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise

  The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.

• Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America

  With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.