Start Archive: News & Articles

Archive: News & Articles


Platforms for naval minehunting and mine disposal: Differing solutions to a common requirement

Technological developments in the field of naval mine countermeasures (MCM) are revolutionising a traditionally dangerous, difficult and time-consuming process. Advances in areas such as networking, autonomy and wider aspects of artificial intelligence are speeding the detection, identification, classification and disposal of mines. Significantly, they also offer the prospect of ‘taking the ship out of the […]

The metals war has just begun

On 9 August 2022, the Biden administration signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law. The act was intended to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the US, decreasing its reliance on foreign suppliers. Since then, the global competition for semiconductor production and the supply of rare earth metals has only heated up. During President Xi Jin […]

Calibre conundrums – developments in small arms ammunition

Small arms represent one of the most fundamental elements of military equipment. As such, one might expect that these weapons and their accompanying ammunition have benefitted from years of significant technological advances, though such an expectation would only partially ring true. Significant technological progress has indeed taken place, but many widely used types of small […]



Delivering the Royal Navy’s future surface fleet

The British Royal Navy is in the middle of a significant programme of fleet renewal. Two major projects are currently underway that will ultimately see the commissioning of eight Type 26 anti-submarine warfare and five Type 31 general purpose frigates. Together, they will replace over two thirds of the navy’s major surface combatants. Responsible for […]

Examining the future of C-UAV and C-RAM

The battlefield threat posed by small and medium unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as by precision artillery continues to evolve. Both are driving a demand for counter-UAV (C-UAV) and counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) systems, and there is a good degree of overlap between the two. Intense research and development efforts are necessary to […]

NATO as a customer: an overview of the NSPA

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) is NATO’s lead organisation for multinational acquisition, support, and sustainment. We strive to obtain the best capabilities across all military domains at the best value – for NATO and Allied Nations – generating economies of scale while leveraging emerging and advanced technology. The Agency also provides equipment and […]



Saudi defence industry: capabilities and partnerships

Saudi Arabia is systematically investing in the development of its own defence industry and R&D capabilities. A remarkable 50% of defence spending is expected to be allocated domestically by 2030. This is an ambitious plan, and it remains to be seen whether the authorities in Riyadh will achieve their goal. For decades, Saudi Arabia lacked […]

De-lousing: the Role of ISR in Enabling Maritime Operations

Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities are an essential, overlaying enabler for naval operations. As the strategic importance of operational tasks such as mine warfare and anti-submarine warfare returns, so does the requirement to expand and enhance ISR capability and its support for such tasks, particularly through enhancing multi-domain command, control, and communications. Intelligence, surveillance, […]

The Battle for Low Earth Orbit and the Stratosphere

Amid an uncertain security environment, competition in Low Earth Orbit and the stratosphere is heating up. SpaceX launched their 42nd Starlink delivery mission of the year on 25 September 2023, at 4:48 a.m. EDT, when a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The rocket placed 21 V2 Mini Starlink […]



Dynamic Messenger 2023: Extending the Envelope of Unmanned Capabilities at Sea

In a round of related exercises off the coast of Portugal, NATO has been exploring the future potential of maritime unmanned assets. Hosted by the Portuguese Navy out of its Maritime Experimentation Operations Centre on the Tróia peninsula and its naval facilities in Sesimbra, NATO has recently conducted two overlapping exercises focused on integrating maritime […]

Detecting Missile Threats from Space

As the threat from manoeuvrable hypersonic missiles adds to the already vast array of ballistic and other missile threats, increasingly extensive and sophisticated space-based satellite constellations providing missile warning and tracking functionality are being deployed to bolster US missile defences for the protection of the US and its Allies. This article examines the threats demanding […]

Developments in Lithium-ion Batteries and AIP Systems for Submarines

The latest developments in Lithium-ion battery (LIB) systems in the underwater domain have resulted in significant advantages for submarine operations compared to standard lead-acid batteries and have increased the number of new submarine procurement programmes. The aim is to provide modern submarines with maximum tactical mobility, while at the same time reducing the indiscretion rate […]



Future Vertical Lift (Maritime Strike): Status Report

The US Navy has begun the search for replacements for its shipboard manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft. The Future Vertical Lift (Maritime Strike) or FVL (MS) program seeks to develop and acquire a ‘family of systems’ (FoS) including both manned and unmanned aircraft to replace rotary lift aircraft currently deployed aboard US Navy (USN) […]

Displays: Digital Visualisation of the Battlefield

Displays are critical to modern military electronic systems, visualising sensor data, communications, and system status. As the most critical link between the human and machine, displays must be carefully integrated into the overall system architecture to enable reliable and effective presentation of information to operators. A key consideration is the need to balance the interface […]

Reassessment of Soviet-era Weapons in the Ukraine War

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is already leading to changes in NATO’s defence concept and a reassessment of the principles of modern warfare. Ukraine’s unique experience of confronting a much larger enemy force in terms of manpower and hardware is being taken into account in this reassessment. NATO’s military strategy is changing and moving towards […]



The Expanding Market for AEW&C Solutions

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and heightened tensions along NATO’s eastern flank, coupled with multi-domain operations in the Indo-Pacific Region, have placed considerable pressure on NATO members’ ageing fleets of manned Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft. This has triggered an accelerated procurement drive not only by NATO members, but also from different customers with […]

Dark Eagle: Fielding the US Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon

The US Army remains confident that it will become the first Western military service to operationally field a hypersonic weapon, potentially as early as autumn of 2023. Through a joint service memorandum, the US Navy and the US Army are collaborating on the development of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). This category of weapon is […]

V for Vantage

Military demands for connectivity show no signs of abating and are only likely to increase in the coming years. Could V-band radio help absorb some the growing communications burden on the future battlefield? The V-band occupies part of the radio segment of the electromagnetic spectrum spanning from 40-75 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths of between 7.5 […]



US Army Ground Combat Systems Update

The US Army is currently modernising its combat vehicle fleet in order to meet more challenging adversaries. This effort combines upgrading in-service systems and introducing completely new combat vehicles. The US Army is currently pursuing 35 high-priority acquisition programmes covering six capabilities categories. These include various vehicle classes as well as improved-range tube artillery. Overall, […]

Common Tactical Truck: US Army Consolidates its Heavy Logistics Vehicle Fleet

Four contractors are competing for the right to build a new fleet of heavy trucks for the US Army. By leveraging state-of-the-art and next-generation commercial technology, the Pentagon hopes to acquire a modernised transport fleet tailored to the needs of multi-domain operations (MDO). Presently, the US Army operates four different classes of heavy tactical vehicle […]

By Stealth to the Shore

With the coastal subsurface domain remaining an area that Western special forces can exploit, a number of companies are providing platforms to facilitate such operations. Peter Felstead looks at recent developments in this sphere. While the close-in surveillance of hostile shores can increasingly be achieved by unmanned platforms, when it comes to covertly putting personnel […]




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