Archive: News & Articles

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Japan of Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2B naval surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 18 October 2024. The proposed sale, which is worth an estimated USD 360 million (EUR 332 million), has been […]

Rohde & Schwarz has been commissioned to supply and integrate communication and radar system electronic support measures (C-ESM/R-ESM) from its KORA family onto the German Navy’s F124 Sachsen-class frigates, the company announced on 21 October 2024. Following approval by the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag, the contract was signed on 18 October in Koblenz with the […]

The Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless has left His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth and returned to UK waters after successfully completing its recertification period, the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organisation of the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 18 October 2024. “Since HMS Dauntless returned to HMNB Portsmouth for recertification the […]

The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships programme for the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary has successfully completed its preliminary design review (PDR), marking the first major milestone in the programme, prime contractor Navantia announced on 21 October 2024. The PDR was completed in working sessions involving the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), Navantia UK and BMT, […]

As part of attempts to increase the security of underwater infrastructure, Germany and Norway proposed on the margins of the NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels on 17 October 2024 that NATO territory should be divided into five maritime regions, each of which would be managed by a member of the alliance. Germany assumes responsibility […]

ESD is happy to announce the magazine received 13 nominations and secured two awards at the 2024 Defence Media Awards (DMAs), held in Washington, DC, on 13 October, along with a further win at the 2024 European Military Press Association (EMPA) awards in Vienna. ESD Editor-in-Chief Mark Cazalet won the DMA for ‘Best Defence Electronics Submission’ with his article ‘Silent Struggle: […]

The first of the French Navy’s future defence and intervention frigates (FDIs), Amiral Ronarc’h, began its sea trials out of Lorient in Brittany on 7 October 2024, French shipbuilder Naval Group has announced. Launched at the end of 2022, Amiral Ronarc’h is the first of five FDI frigates being built by Naval Group for the […]

On 9 October 2024 Babcock cut steel on the future HMS Formidable: the third of five Inspiration-class (Type 31) frigates the company’s shipyard in Rosyth, Scotland, is building for the UK Royal Navy. The steel-cutting ceremony, which marks the official start of the ship’s build programme, comes just 20 months after the steel cut ceremony […]

A Sea Venom medium-range anti-ship missile has successfully completed the weapon’s first guided live firing from a Royal Navy Leonardo Wildcat helicopter at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Aberporth range in Wales, the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organisation reported on 9 October 2024. The guided firing marks a significant milestone in the […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to India of MK 54 MOD 0 lightweight torpedoes and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 7 October 2024. The proposed sale, which is worth an estimated USD 175 million (EUR 159.4 million), has been passed to the […]

The Delivery Agreement for the Replacement Netherlands Submarine Capability (RNSC) programme has been signed, France’s Naval Group announced on 30 September 2024. The agreement was signed by Dutch Defence Minister Gijs Tuinman and Naval Group CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet at a ceremony held on 30 September at the Directie Materiële Instandhouding (DMI) in Den Helder, […]

RTX’s Raytheon business recently conducted a series of controlled environmental tests for the Barracuda mine neutralisation system at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Maryland, RTX announced on 7 October 2024. Using a production representative test unit, Barracuda operated and collected data in environments of various sea states and water currents, […]

The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) has lost its first vessel at sea since the Second World War. The offshore support vessel HMNZS Manawanui was conducting a hydrographic survey on 5 October 2024, one nautical mile from the southern coast of the Samoan island of Upolu, when it ran aground on a reef. According to […]

BAE Systems has been awarded a USD 92 million (EUR 84 million) US Navy contract to continue building propulsors for the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) programme, the company announced on 3 October 2024. Under the contract BAE Systems will deliver the propulsor forward assemblies, as well as design engineering support services and support and […]

China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels have entered the Arctic Ocean for the first time while conducting a joint exercise with the Russian Border Guard. In a 2 October 2024 post on its Weixin social media account the CCG stated, “A few days ago, a fleet of Chinese and Russian coast guard ships arrived in the […]

Agamemnon, the latest Royal Navy Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), has entered the water at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, for the first time. The boat was rolled out of its construction hall on 2 October 2024, put onto its shiplift overnight and entered the water on the morning of 3 October. Named after […]

France’s defence procurement agency, the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), is to provide the French Navy with its first sovereign ultra-deep-sea exploration and surveillance capability and has chosen maritime robotics specialist Exail to supply a new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) capable of operating at depths of up to 6,000 m, the company announced on 3 October […]

Michegan-based naval design house Ghostworks Marine announced on 25 September 2024 the launch of its latest M-Hull vessel: the M40. The first M40 went from design to completed sea trials in six months, the company noted, adding that the vessels is currently on an East Coast tour to demonstrate its capabilities. Starting in Washington, DC, […]

The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) has contracted Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) to upgrade the Royal Norwegian Navy’s fleet of six Ula-class submarines with a view to extending their operational lives, KDA announced on 23 September 2024. KDA supplied the combat system for the Ula-class submarines, which were commissioned between 1989 and 1992, and […]

Portuguese unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Tekever announced on 23 September 2024 that it has unveiled ground-breaking UAV technologies at the ongoing NATO Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) 2024 exercise, being held around Portugal’s Troia Peninsula. During the exercise Tekever’s AR3 and AR5 UAVs were deployed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance […]

Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland announced on 20 September 2024 that they are to continue their successful co-operation in the field of laser weapons. The aim is to bring a joint maritime product to the market within the next five to six years, which opens up new possibilities, particularly in relation to counter-unmanned aerial vehicle defences […]