Archive: News & Articles

Lockheed Martin has delivered the first AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antenna for Japan’s future Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEVs) to the Japan Ministry of Defense, the company announced on 15 January 2025. The ASEVs are two ballistic missile defence (BMD) warships being built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as a sea-based replacement for Japan’s cancelled […]

INS Vaghsheer, India’s sixth P75 Kalvari-class submarine, was officially commissioned into the Indian Navy on 15 January 2025 during a ceremony in Mumbai, France’s Naval Group has announced. The submarine was built by Indian shipyard Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), based on Naval Group’s Scorpene design, under a technology transfer agreement in line with the […]

Raytheon has been awarded a USD 333 million (EUR 324 million) contract from the US Navy to produce Standard Missile -6 (SM-6) Block IA missiles, parent company RTX announced on 13 January 2025. Deployed on US Navy ships, SM-6 “delivers a proven, over-the-horizon offensive and defensive capability by leveraging the time-tested Standard Missile airframe and […]

Schiebel, as part of the Thales-led SEACURE consortium, announced on 13 January 2025 that it has been awarded a grant agreement under the European Defence Fund’s (EDF’s) call for unmanned anti-submarine and seabed warfare solutions. The SEACURE (Seabed and anti-submarine warfare capability through unmanned feature for Europe) consortium consists of 35 companies from 13 European […]

According to various Russian news agencies and online forums, the Russian Kirov-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov was scheduled to deploy to sea in late 2024, after an extensive service overhaul, and initiate sea trials. This intention was confirmed by the general director of United Shipbuilding Corporation, Andreĭ Puchkov, who made his announcement on the […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of MK 54 MOD 0 lightweight torpedoes, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 3 January 2025. The proposed sale, which is worth an estimated USD 78.5 million (EUR 76.8 million), has been passed to […]

The UK-led multinational Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has activated an advanced reaction system to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian ‘shadow fleet’ of sanctions-busting tankers in response to reported damage to a major undersea cable in the Baltic Sea, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 6 January 2025. The […]

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MND) has simultaneously initiated three major naval programmes. During its weekly press conference on 2 January 2025 the MND announced steel-cutting ceremonies for the MUGEM (Milli Uçak Gemisi – National Aircraft Carrier), TF-2000 anti-air warfare (AAW) destroyer and MILDEN (Milli Denizaltı – National Submarine) programmes. The steel-cutting steel ceremonies […]

Airbus subsidiary Airbus DS Airborne Solutions (ADAS) and long-term partner Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have signed a follow-on framework contract to continue to provide uncrewed aerial maritime surveillance services to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, the companies announced on 17 December 2024. Under the terms of the contract IAI’s Heron medium-altitude, long-endurance […]

Damen Naval announced on 20 December 20224 that it has signed a contract with Dutch naval architect and systems integrator Nevesbu for the platform engineering scope of the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate for Colombia. The work includes both basic engineering and detailed engineering. Both Damen Naval and Nevesbu are sister companies within the […]

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (GUR) has claimed to have destroyed two Russian helicopters and damaged a third in an operation that used MAGURA V5 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) armed with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The operation, conducted by the GUR’s Group 13 special forces unit, took place in the Black […]

Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) covering the modernisation of Sweden’s coastal anti-ship missile capability, the company announced on 23 December 2024. The total value of the contract is SEK 800 million (EUR 69.9 million), with the majority of the order intake booked in the third quarter of 2024. […]

On 26 December 2024 the Finnish Border Guard boarded the Russian oil tanker Eagle S after it was suspected of breaching an undersea power cable linking Finland to Estonia the previous day. In an act of what the Finnish government has called “aggravated sabotage”, Eagle S is accused of dragging its anchor to break the […]

Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to supply its Sea Giraffe 1X radar system to the Swedish Navy, the company announced on 13 December 2024. The order, which is valued at around SEK 340 million (EUR 29.5 million) with deliveries running from now until 2026, covers Sea Giraffe 1X […]

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Spanish shipyard Navantia in Riad on 11 December 2024 for the supply of three additional Avante 2200 corvettes, identical to the five Avante corvettes already in service with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF). Construction of the first new corvette will begin imminently, while […]

Military and civilian experts from across NATO met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on 10 December 2024 to ramp up further co-operation in countering threats to critical undersea infrastructure. The specialists were joined by industry representatives, including telecommunications operators. Participants at the meeting reviewed mechanisms to boost situational awareness, to enhance information sharing […]

Dutch shipyard Damen Naval has signed a contract with classification society Lloyd’s Register in relation to the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate design for the Colombian Navy, the company announced on 4 December 2024. Lloyd’s Register will execute the full plan approval for the execution phase of the programme, which will see Colombia produce […]

ACUA Ocean, a UK provider of platforms for sustainable maritime data collection, is beginning trials with its Pioneer-class unmanned surface vessel (USV) design, the company has told ESD. From December 2024 the first vessel, USV Pioneer, is conducting three months of harbour and site acceptance testing followed by sea trials out of ACUA Ocean’s facilities […]

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has selected the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SeaGuardian for its Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle programme, GA-ASI announced on 3 December 2024. The number of SeaGuardian platforms to be procured by the JMSDF has not yet been disclosed. The decision follows the JMSDF’s use of SeaGuardian […]

Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall and Munich-headquartered extended reality (XR) specialist Hologate plan to co-operate closely in the development of innovative future simulation solutions, Rheinmetall announced on 2 December 2024. The strategic co-operation aims to advance developments that are crucial for modern military training. “In a world where the requirements for training systems and methods for educating drivers […]

Maritime design and engineering consultancy BMT has acquired Melbourne-based Australian Maritime Technologies (AMT), the company announced on 2 December 2024. A specialist in engineering, design and consulting services for marine projects, AMT will be used to strengthen BMT’s capabilities in ship design and engineering for defence and commercial maritime customers and to enhance BMT’s ability […]