Netherlands to acquire Finnish littoral assault craft in LCVP replacement programme
The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.
The USN carrier Gerald R. Ford pictured in 2017 after completing sea trials. (Photo: USN/ Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Ruiz)
Huntington Ingalls Newport News is to conduct ‘planned incremental availability’ work on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the DoD announced on 28 July.
Work on a $94.8 million delivery order from the USN is scheduled for completion by March 2022.
In June 2019, the USN awarded Huntington Ingalls a $687 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, IDIQ contract for early service life period work on the Gerald R. Ford, which entered service in 2017 as the first ship in its class. The work included support ship repair and modernisation during continuous maintenance and emergent maintenance during the early service period.
Shephard Defence Insight notes that the four Gerald R Ford-class carriers will be at the forefront of US power projection over the next 50 years as they enter service, employing new technologies that will enhance operational capabilities far beyond their predecessors.
The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.
Saab Kockums was initially awarded the contract to build two A26 submarines for the Royal Swedish Navy in 2015, but the programme has faced delays and escalating costs.
If the foreign military sale request is approved, Germany would be the first country outside the US to acquire the technology, which is currently used extensively by the US Navy.
Satellite navigation is increasingly critical for global maritime defence, and Low Earth Orbit satellites are rapidly overtaking the traditional and more widely used Medium Earth Orbit option as they are less susceptible to jamming or spoofing.
The initial sea trials for Virginia-class SSN 798 conducted by Newport News Shipbuilding division and the US Navy marked an “important step”, but the ongoing AUKUS review casts a shadow over what the progress means for the partner nations.
The US Navy is conducting market research to find AI software products for the Collaborative Integrated Air and Missile Defence Planning Programme.