Archive: News & Articles

The FREMM frigate Spartaco Schergat was delivered to the Italian Navy at Fincantieri’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard on 15 April 2025. The ship is the ninth of 10 FREMM vessels contracted to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture owned by Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), by the European Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) […]

Dutch shipyard Damen Naval has awarded Van Halteren Technologies (VHT) two contracts for the Dutch-Belgian Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigate (ASWF) programme covering the delivery of replenishment-at-sea (RAS) systems and helicopter transfer systems (HTS), Damen announced on 15 April 2025. VHT was selected for its expertise and proven track record demonstrated in previous collaborations, according to Damen. […]

Navantia is to support the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in its project to enhance the capabilities of the RTN landing platform dock (LPD) HTMS Chang (792), the Spanish shipbuilder announced on 10 April 2025. The contract includes the provision and integration of the combat management system (CMS), surveillance system, fire control system (FCS), weapon system, […]

Naviris and Eurosam have completed the first critical design review (CDR) for the Horizon Mid-Life Upgrade (HRZ MLU) programme, Eurosam announced on 10 April 2025. The announcement is a pivotal moment for the Franco-Italian frigate programme as it officially marks the transition from the design phase to the production phase. Originally delivered between 2009 and […]

Aselsan has successfully concluded a mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the Turkish MEKO-200TN frigate TCG Oruçreis under the Turkish Naval Forces’ Barbaros-class Frigate Mid-Life Upgrade (Barbaros-MLU) programme, the company declared on 9 April 2025. Following its MLU the ship began initial trials in the Sea of Marmara in November 2023, so Aselsan’s announcement indicates that its […]

BAE Systems has outlined how it is preparing to scale up its submarine manufacturing and naval support capacity in the United States. In a press release dated 8 April 2025 the company noted that it has invested more than USD 260 million (EUR 235 million) in its facilities over the past six years to increase […]

During its 2025 deployment to the Indo-Pacific a UK Carrier Strike Group will be supported by a fleet of nine all-electric uncrewed quadcopters produced BAE Systems’ Malloy Aeronautics subsidiary for the first time, BAE Systems announced on 8 April 2025. The Malloy Aeronautics T-150 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be used to transport supplies such […]

Subsea specialist JFD has been awarded an eight-year, GBP 11 million (EUR 13 million) service contract to continue and expand its services to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the company announced on 2 April 2025. The contract involves a thorough assessment of the current in-service Transportable Manned Compression Chambers (TMCCs), upgrades and modifications for […]

The CETUS extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) being developed by Plymouth, UK-based MSubs for the UK Royal Navy (RN) is set to begin sea trials. “We’re into the trials stages,” Callum McCullough, an MSubs naval architect, stated during a 25 March briefing at the 2025 Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) conference, held in Oslo, Norway. This […]

Vlissingen, the second of the series of mine countermeasures vessels of the Belgian-Dutch Replacement Mine CounterMeasure (rMCM) programme and the first intended for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN), began its initial sea trials campaign from Concarneau in France on 27 March 2025. During its first day at sea the ship’s performance was put to the test, […]

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that a fully funded plan is in place to mount the developmental DragonFire laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) on four of the UK Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers. The plan was outlined by UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard on 26 March 2025 and has been facilitated by […]

Dutch shipyard Damen Naval has handed over the new Combat Support Ship (CSS) Den Helder to the Dutch Ministry of Defence’s Command Materiel and IT organisation (COMMIT). During a 24 March 2025 ceremony in Den Helder, the ship’s home port, Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene and COMMIT Commander Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman presided over […]

The keel of the first of the UK Royal Navy’s new Dreadnought-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) has been laid at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness shipyard. The future HMS Dreadnought will be the first of four Dreadnought-class SSBNs that will succeed the Royal Navy’s current fleet of four Vanguard-class SSBNs. The ceremonial event on 20 March […]

A contract has been signed between BAE Systems and Canada’s Irving Shipbuilding Inc (ISI), marking the start of the next major phase of the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) River-class destroyer programme, BAE Systems announced on 17 March 2025. The contract follows the Canadian government’s award of an implementation contract to ISI for the construction and […]

Under an agreement signed with France’s Naval Group, Thales is to supply the sonar suite for the Orka-class submarines to be deployed by the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) under the Replacement Netherlands Submarine Capability (RNSC) programme, Thales announced on 19 March 2025. Four Orka-class boats built by Naval Group will replace the RNLN’s current fleet […]

Leading Emirati defence and technology concern EDGE Group and French shipbuilder CMN Naval have formally agreed to create a new Abu Dhabi-based shipbuilding joint venture (JV) called AD Naval, EDGE announced on 19 March 2025. Leveraging an existing order pipeline worth around EUR 7 billion, the JV will bring together both companies under an exclusivity […]

Navantia Australia has been awarded the Designer Support Contract (DSC) to provide comprehensive design and engineering support to all Navantia-designed ships in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the shipyard announced on 18 March 2025. The deal marks a significant milestone for Navantia Australia as it is the company’s first contract held directly with […]

What prime contractor Thales bills as the world’s first end-to-end autonomous maritime minehunting system has been delivered to the UK Royal Navy, Thales announced on 14 March 2025. The new capability consists of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) – the 12 m long Royal Navy Motor Boat (RNMB) Ariadne – as well as an advanced […]

BAE Systems has received a contract from Damen Naval to supply a Bofors 40 Mk4 naval gun system for installation on the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate being built for the Colombian Navy, BAE Systems announced on 12 March 2025. Based on Damen Naval’s proven SIGMA 10514 series, the PES frigate will be built […]

The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) air defence and command frigate (LCF) De Ruyter launched a Tomahawk land attack cruise missile off the US East Coast on 11 March 2025, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the following day. The test launch marked the first time that a Dutch warship has ever fired such a missile. The […]

Narciso Monturiol (S-82), the second of four S-80-class submarines that Navantia is building for the Spanish Navy, has successfully accomplished its first ‘power up’, Navantia announced on 11 March 2025. The ‘power up’ entails the start-up of the main and emergency electrical distribution networks. From the completion of this milestone, the various equipment on board […]