Archive: News & Articles

Since the dawn of chemical warfare in the First World War, various countries in the world made large quantities of chemical warfare agents (the toxic chemicals themselves) and chemical munitions (the weapon systems to dispense them). Only a portion of these weapons were used on the battlefield and no country has a declared arsenal of […]

Both the Army of the Czech Republic (Armáda České republiky; AČR) and the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojené sily Slovenskej republiky; OS SR) are currently undergoing the most extensive modernisation since their creation in 1993. The following overview presents the most important recent procurement projects. Czech Republic Air Force The most expensive armament […]

Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, followed by Azerbaijani offensives on Armenian territory and Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and 2023, marked a turning point in the country’s defence strategy. These conflicts exposed critical weaknesses in the Armenian army, which remained largely reliant on outdated Soviet and Russian weaponry. This dependence on Russian arms and logistical […]

Electronic countermeasures (ECM) to defend warships against guided weapon attacks are not a new development. Rudimentary jamming devices were fitted to Royal Navy and US Navy ships as far back as 1943 to disrupt the communications link used in German Hs 293 and Fritz-X radio-controlled bombs. Subsequently, off-board expendable decoys, typified by radio frequency (RF) […]

For a navy investing in platforms like aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines, and anti-submarine warfare frigates, one of the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) most interesting, and important, recent platform investments is not a frontline warship. Such higher-end platforms play a crucial role for the RN in providing capability to deter and defend against threats across the […]

In May 2023, Microsoft detected a Chinese malware attack (Volt Typhoon) on US critical infrastructure on the Guam base – a crucial node in US operations in the Pacific. The attack relied on simple techniques and, if undetected, could have resulted in hackers successfully modifying tools and commands. In early 2024, the US successfully carried […]

Thaon di Revel is an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Italian Navy. Within the Marina Militare, she is classified as a multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessel or Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura, PPA.   CDR Chericoni, you must be proud to be in command of ITS Thaon di Revel. Equipped with the latest generation of modular and scalable […]

In November 2024, Norway announced that four countries – France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States – had been short-listed as potential government-to-government partners in delivering Norway’s future frigate. Norway is progressing with a procurement plan to replace the Royal Norwegian Navy’s (RNoN’s) in-service Fridtjof Nansen class frigates; the process is aiming to […]

In December 2024, a first live tracking of an airborne object was achieved for Lockheed Martin’s AN/SPY-7(V)2 solid-state, fixed-face, S-band (NATO E/F-band) radar, being developed as part of the Spanish Navy’s F-110 frigate programme. The testing – conducted at the US company’s Moorestown, New Jersey facility – used a single-face variant, instantiated in an engineering development model […]

Türkiye’s ambition to modernise its armed forces and achieve greater self-sufficiency in defence products is most clearly evident in its naval shipbuilding industry. In January 2025, the Turkish Ministry of Defence announced that 31 warships were in various stages of construction for the Turkish Naval Forces, spanning nine different projects. These projects cover a broad […]

The Romanian Navy has seen only limited investment since the Cold War’s end. Accordingly, the deteriorating security situation and increasing defence expenditure has driven plans for wholesale modernisation. However, prioritisation given to other branches of the Romanian Armed Forces and, notably, difficulties in concluding acquisition contracts have meant that, to date, only limited progress has […]

Procurement of major warships is experiencing a notable resurgence against a backdrop of increased global tensions. Some fleets are embarking on their first purchases of new-build surface combatants in recent years, whilst many others are expanding acquisition programmes to encompass several warship classes. This upturn in activity is often being accompanied by an assessment of […]

The ability to remain quiet has been a cardinal virtue for both submariners and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operators for most of history. This has stemmed from the fact that active detection poses a considerable risk of counter detection and, thus, destruction by an opponent. Consequently, for most of the Cold War, competitors raced both to […]

Intended to replace and expand the capacity provided by the German Navy’s existing F124 Sachsen class air defence frigates, the F127 frigate programme will deliver up to six new major surface combatants from the mid-2030s onwards. The project has been gathering momentum over recent months and important decisions on its future direction are imminent. This […]

The US Navy faces several fundamental, interrelated challenges as it tries to shape the fleet it will have in the mid-21st century and beyond. [1] These issues are not unique to the United States, but are common to many democratic nations across Europe and East Asia. The US Navy’s ability to acquire new ships is […]

Objectively speaking, the US Navy remains the world’s most powerful maritime force. However, it faces a determined challenge from a fast-growing Chinese fleet. The Trump administration has promised early steps to address the shortfall in American shipbuilding capacity. Adjustments to naval force structure are also expected, although these plans are still being developed. Background Donald […]

From simple steel constructs of the twentieth century, the combat helmet has seen a comprehensive evolution in design, materials, and manufacturing on its journey to reach the advanced systems protecting soldiers today. This article looks at certain helmet basics and manufacturing advances, some recent examples portraying how they have become more than just helmets, and […]

Despite the fact that many experts remain unsure whether or not Russia is interested in a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian officials are preparing for the post-war situation and believe that the Russian defence industry should maintain high production even after a ceasefire. The defence industry became a driver of the Russian economy during the war […]

NATO faces a complex challenge: how to rapidly enhance its air and missile defence capabilities while ensuring integration across disparate systems developed by various countries. This analysis explores how divergent approaches to integration can be reconciled to create effective multi-layered protection against sophisticated aerial threats. In the wake of the conflict in Ukraine, the subject […]

As multiple countries race to develop and deploy hypersonic missiles, questions remain about their cost-effectiveness and actual battlefield impact. This analysis explores the technical realities behind hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles, examining whether they can truly deliver on their promised capabilities. Militaries around the world are clamouring to develop hypersonic missiles for conventional […]

Two decades ago, the US Army and US Navy began developing the non-line-of-sight launch system (NLOS-LS, aka ‘Rocket in a Box’) as a modular firing system housing 15 vertically launched 280 mm rockets in a container. The Army planned to mount the system on flatbed vehicles, while the Navy hoped to add much-needed firepower to […]