Archive: News & Articles

While industry forecasts for shipbuilding, and the defence industry more generally, are predicting significant expansion over the next decade, differences of opinion remain on the strategies for achieving such growth and the factors that will influence them. At the Euronaval 2024 defence exhibition McKinsey & Company launched its industry report titled ‘McKinsey on the Maritime […]

Investment in naval surface-to-surface guided weapons (SSGWs) has fallen behind since the end of the Cold War but recent projects aim to modernise missile capabilities and adapt them for the emerging operational environment. Meanwhile naval gun systems are also proving to offer a useful all-round multi-mission fire support and air defence capability for warships, being […]

Pakistan’s journey to defence-industrial self-reliance has been marked by geopolitical challenges and shifting alliances. This article traces the evolution of Pakistan’s indigenous defence industry, highlighting key milestones along its journey from reliance on foreign arms to developing indigenous nuclear and conventional weapon systems. Upon independence in August 1947, Pakistan faced a significant problem as it […]

Threats to surface fleet vessels are more numerous and potentially devastating than at any time in naval history, with a ship’s survivability a fundamental consideration that begins at the concept and design stages of a vessel’s existence. Watching the horizon. Today’s threats to surface ships will come from all directions, fast, and in potentially high-density […]

A number of high-speed naval vessels currently in service are capable of speeds between 40 and 70 knots, significantly outpacing most surface combatants. Some high-speed vessels are specialised on performing particular mission profiles, while others are multi-mission craft. One characteristic that they all share is their relatively small size, with even the largest units being […]

Submarine rescue systems, both new and old, along with related, advanced equipment and technologies, offer the undersea world of submariners more reassurance of being rescued from a disabled submarine than ever. Yet, constant training and practice in the use of such systems are required to ensure ‘time to first rescue’ is minimised. This article takes […]

Submersible vessels capable of both surface and underwater operations provide flexible options for Special Operations Forces. They are considerably smaller than conventional attack submarines, and serve a variety of mostly specialised mission types. Special Operations Forces (SOFs) are the primary users of manned submersibles, which have popularly been referred to as miniature/midget submarines or mini-subs. […]

Combat divers, expertly trained and resilient, rely on a wide range of kit, tough enough to support the execution of typically arduous, covert ops. From rebreathers to compressed gas systems, tactical dive submersibles and more, the gear used by the combat diver enables extreme missions to be undertaken, while ensuring that optimum life support and […]

Several Western navies are modernising their mine countermeasures capabilities with new, specialised vessels. Naval mine warfare remains a potent threat in the 21st century. The mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels of many nations are ageing and – in some cases – are in urgent need of replacement. The need to introduce new MCM vessels (MCMVs) is […]

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have emerged as a potent new threat to military ships. This requires a re-evaluation of ship-defence technology and tactics.  For decades anti-ship missiles (ASMs) have arguably posed the dominant threat to surface vessels. However, a new, asymmetrical threat emerged in October 2000 when a small, explosive-laden […]

Europe remains a focal point of submarine construction and technological innovation. The industry placed heavy reliance on securing export orders to sustain their operations during the difficult, post-Cold War years, albeit some rationalisation was inevitable. With a changed political background, many manufacturers are now scrambling to find ways to meet an upsurge in domestic demand […]

The future submarine operating environment The water around your submarine is reverberating due to a distant active low-frequency sonar. Every few minutes, the sonar operators report a splash point, a sign that a passive sonar buoy has been dropped by one of the numerous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) out on patrol that relentlessly hunt you […]

Underwater operations remain a core output that navies and their parent countries use to secure national interests and create international influence. Such operations are, of course, conducted covertly, with submerged platforms: this is the unique selling point, and it endures because the world’s oceans remain opaque to sensing technologies trying to see into them from […]

European naval shipyards are enjoying buoyant conditions. Numerous projects for the construction of major surface combatants – destroyers, frigates and corvettes – are now passing through the production stage, often after many years of planning and design development. The challenging international security situation is also driving opportunities for additional sales, both in Europe and across […]

A combat management system (CMS) is often referred to as a naval vessel’s ‘brain’, linking the vessel’s sensors – its ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ – to its effectors – the ‘limbs’ that deliver the required kinetic and non-kinetic effects. Given the role of CMS in collecting data, processing this data into information, and distributing tasks and […]

In the contemporary operating environment at sea, navies need more mass in conducting both defensive and offensive tasks. For Western navies, defeating threats to ships at sea across the spectrum of operations – from maritime security challenges such as small boats swarming around choke points, to high-end naval warfare threats like large-scale anti-ship attacks – […]

Having been largely neglected during the post-Cold War era, the procurement of logistic support ships has undergone a resurgence in recent years. The reasons for this market upsurge are many and varied, including the life-expiry of existing ships, the desirability of meeting enhanced environmental standards, and revised operational concepts that place greater demands on maritime […]

Uncrewed surface vessel (USV) operations amongst NATO members are undergoing something of a sea change, due in large part to lessons learned from the maritime components of the ongoing Russo–Ukraine war. At the recent Portuguese Navy-led, NATO co-hosted ‘REPMUS 2024’ (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems) exercise held at Troia, southern Portugal, Allied […]

Warfighting in a saturated radio spectrum places a premium on command and control, and spectrum management. The US Joint Electromagnetic Battle Management system should help both. War may be raging in Ukraine but, for the most part, cell phone coverage is available. Broadcasters near the front transmit their footage and reports across satellite links. SpaceX’s […]

Over the years, a number of different approaches to train commanders and their staffs have emerged. So-called Command and Staff Training (CAST) exercises featuring maps, counters and dice have been supplemented with computer-aided exercises (CAX), while more recently, games-based solutions are being offered. The challenge facing the military today is what solution, or solutions, should […]

One of the Vice Presidents at Lockheed Martin is Jeff ‘Cobra’ Harrigian, Commander of the US Air Force in Europe (USAFE) until 2022, with 4,100 hours on F-22, F-15C and A/OA-37. Now he is responsible for ‘Strategic Campaigns’ at the world’s largest defence contractor. On the sidelines of AIRPOWER-24, ESD spoke to him about the […]