• Naval Warfare

  US Navy tests Aegis combat system for hypersonic missile defence

  3rd April 2025

  The Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Pinckney undertook the tests against a simulated SM-6 missile.

• Defence Notes

  Pentagon’s FY26 defence budget proposal is $130 billion more than US Congress plans to provide

  12th June 2025

  The House Committee on Appropriations approved a FY2026 bill reducing investments in main defence programmes.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy follows US Navy lead, invests in VR training to mitigate watchkeeping skill fade

  19th March 2025

  VR naval training is growing more accepted as it maintains bridge skills in a safe, virtual environment.

• Air Warfare

  L3Harris wins $1 billion communications system contract from US Navy

  27th November 2024

  The company will deliver its Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System Terminal (MIDS JTRS) to the US over the next five years.

• Naval Warfare

  India commissions three new vessels

  15th January 2025

  The new vessels, Nilgiri, Surat and Vagsheer, will be deployed to protect vital trade routes in the Indian Ocean.

• Naval Warfare

  Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates

  27th June 2025

  The Italian Navy is being refreshed with two new ships ordered, while in the past six months steel was cut for a new frigate, an enhanced frigate was delivered and Horizon-class frigates passed a design review.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Canadian Navy advances with the construction of its first River-Class destroyer

  17th June 2025

  Scheduled for delivery by 2033, HMCS Fraser will be a major surface component of the Canadian maritime combat power.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy testing mid-ocean missile restocking system in case of conflict with China

  4th December 2024

  US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has revealed plans to mitigate the difficulties of a war in the western Pacific.

• Naval Warfare

  Can the US Navy afford its plans to operate a manned/unmanned fleet?

  21st November 2024

  Budgetary constraints and the annual procurement rate could impact the branch’s intention to have a hybrid fleet.

• Air Warfare

  Shield AI unveils V-Bat block upgrade

  9th April 2025

  The heavy-fuel engine V-Bat was officially showcased at Sea Air Space, after it was first teased in February 2025.

• Defence Notes

  US reforms its defence acquisition system to focus on commercial capabilities

  21st August 2025

  This shift is planned to accelerate the procurement and fielding of capabilities. As part of this strategy, the US also intends modernise its regulations in an attempt to change its bureaucratic and risk-averse culture.

• Air Warfare

  Embraer evaluates new mission capabilities for C-390 with ISR study to finish by 2026

  10th June 2025

  Alongside its official Maritime Patrol study, Embraer is also evaluating further special missions capabilities for its aircraft, including those in the space domain and with drones, CEO Bosco da Costa Junior told Shephard.

• Air Warfare

  New Zealand to procure MH-60R and A321XLR aircraft as plan to “rebuild” the NZDF begins

  21st August 2025

  The MH-60R Seahawk and A321XLR aircraft are the first procurement announcements designed to help delivery of a more combat capable and interoperable fleet to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), as outlined in the New Zealand government’s April Defence Capability Plan.

• Naval Warfare

  USSOUTHCOM in ‘desperate need’ for fleet assets says commander

  19th February 2025

  Adm Holsey also warned that were “zero Navy P-8 aircraft available due to being pulled to other theatres”.

• Naval Warfare

  Fincantieri takes control of Leonardo’s underwater armaments business

  15th January 2025

  The deal includes a 50% stake in the EuroTorp project which designed the MU90 torpedo.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• AEW&C

  E-2D - USA

  The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is an all-weather, twin engine, carrier-based, Airborne Command, Control and Surveillance aircraft designed to extend task force defense perimeters. The ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class (T-ATS)

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) are replacing the ageing three remaining T-ATF 166 class tugboats and two remaining T-ARS 50 class ships with ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  Programme Background Timeline For a long time, Poland has been trying to procure submarine rescue vessels. A contract for the acquisition of up to two ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Blackwing (Second Batch) [USA]

  Programme BackgroundFirst Batch The Blackwing originated from a 2013 initiative to develop a low-cost submarine-launched UAS for the US Navy. Following successful tests with the ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The CRS SSN(X) report states the USN is examining three broad design options for future submarines. One is based on the current ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8 Poseidon [South Korea]

  Programme Background South Korea is facing an imminent submarine threat from North Korea. The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) is operating an aging fleet of P-3C ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AS Submarine Tenders [USN]

  The USN is in the process of procuring three new submarine tenders aimed to replace the ageing USS Memory S. Land and USS Frank Cable, ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AS Submarine Tenders [USN]

  The USN is in the process of procuring three new submarine tenders aimed to replace the ageing USS Memory S. Land and USS Frank Cable, ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS) [Spain]

  Programme Background Timeline On 5 November 2021, the Spanish MoD signed a contract for Navantia to build a new submarine rescue vessel at its Puerto ...

• Submarines nuclear, ballistic missile

  Columbia Class Submarine (3-12)

  Programme Background The Columbia class is being built to replace the aging Ohio class SSBN's in service with the US Navy. The Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) ...

• Submarines nuclear, ballistic missile

  Columbia Class Submarine (SSBN 826 - 827) (1-2)

  Programme Background The Columbia class is being built to replace the ageing Ohio class SSBNs in service with the US Navy. The Major Defense Acquisition ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) Ship [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021 Defence Command Paper, Defence in a competitive age, outlined the plan to develop a new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) vessel ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military - UUVs

  Snakehead LDUUV

  The Snakehead Large Displacement Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) is a US Navy (USN) Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) designed to be launched from submarine Dry Dock Shelters ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Poseidón - Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS)

  The Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS), Poseidon (A-21), is a submarine rescue vessel being built by Navatia. The ship will enter service ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Kronos

  At NAVDEX 2023, Highland Systems unveiled the Kronos submarine for the first time. According to the manufacturer, the submarine is suitable for commercial, rescue and military ...

• Rescue Baskets

  The Collapsible Rescue Basket combines compact storage capabilities of rescue nets with the ruggedness, rigidity and safety of solid-frame rescue baskets, claims the company. The ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Special & Diving Operations-Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SURS)

  The Special & Diving Operations-Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SURS) is a Submarine Rescue Ship set to join the Italian Navy by 2025. In June 2021, the Italian ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class

  The Navajo-class is the USN's new class of towing, salvage, and rescue ships to replace the current T-ATF 166 and T-ARS 50 class ships. This ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Blackwing

  Manufactured by AeroVironment and based on the Switchblade loitering munition, the Blackwing is a tube-launched UAV designed to deliver rapid ISR capabilities through its EO/IR ...

• Gelibolu 1500

  Gelibolu 1500 is a lightweight, work-class ROV able to perform submarine rescue, deep-sea survey, seismic observation and sample collection. The system includes manipulator arms, lights ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Belgorod (Project 09852)

  Belgorod (Project 09852) is a special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine designed to launch the new Poseidon nuclear-armed UUV. Belgorod was originally meant to be an Oscar-II-class multi-purpose submarine, but ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  OMS 200

  Airbus DS Optronics unveiled the OMS 200 at the September 2013 DSEI exhibition. It combines the capabilities of the OMS 110 with intelligent target acquisition ...

• Patrol boats

  Tapper Class

  Tapper (Type 80) patrol boats were ordered in the 1990s, the first seven in 1992 and five more in 1995, and were designed as small, ...

• ISR/special mission

  E-6B Mercury

  The E-6B Mercury is an airborne command post and communications relay for US nuclear forces, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The USN operates a fleet of ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APS-124

  The AN/APS-124 is a long-range maritime search and targeting radar manufactured by Raytheon. It was originally developed for the USN Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. It ...

• Sea: weapon training

  Inflatable Naval Gunnery Targets

  GeoData produces a range of Naval Gunnery Target Balloons (NavTGTs) for use by marine, navy, coast guard and army units to maintain target acquisition and ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Los Angeles Class

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) have been the mainstay of the US sub-surface fleet since the 1970s. Known as the ...