Archive: News & Articles

From the French Navy’s embedded data hubs to predictive maintenance software on US vessels, artificial intelligence (AI) is already changing maritime warfare. Yet widespread deployment remains limited by concerns over trusting the algorithms, ethical frameworks, and the complex challenge of making allied systems work together. “CommandGPT, considering submarine threat indices, minefield charts, weather forecasts and […]

Pilots and crew aboard fixed and rotary-wing military aircraft face numerous potential operational and peacetime-related emergency scenarios for which several items of personal protection and safety equipment will help improve their chances of survival. This article looks at some of the and survival kit intended to keep military pilots and crew alive in the event […]

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 […]

Since 2020, there has been a flurry of activity in the global market for military-specification articulated all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), with contracts for close to 1,000 new vehicles signed and several more programmes approaching the threshold of contract award. This article explores the factors encouraging this demand, how the vehicles are evolving to meet customer requirements, […]

Rydberg atom based-sensing could make an important contribution to the enhancement and improvement of radio and radar signal detection. The city of Halmstad on Sweden’s southwest coast has the distinction of hosting the country’s first ever International Worker’s Day demonstration which took place in 1897. Twelve years earlier, the city’s first trade union was formed […]

Since the 1980s, many nations have relied on the Global Positioning System (GPS) for position-finding, missile guidance, and for the precision timing that is essential for many military and civil high-technology systems. So inevitably, this has resulted in the development of corresponding countermeasures. In 2003, Iraq deployed GPS jammers (probably of Russian origin) in the […]

The advent of metasurface technology could herald major benefits for platform protection in the air domain, particularly as a means of reducing visibility to radar. You might not have heard of metamaterials, or indeed metasurfaces, but do not worry, you are not alone. The science of metamaterials of relatively new. In a nutshell, metamaterials exploit […]

With low-cost drones and missiles threatening even well-defended naval assets, this analysis examines a systems approach to integrating electronic warfare that could rebalance the cost equation. Recent experience of naval combat in theatres such as the Red Sea and Black Sea has illustrated several challenges which navies will face with respect to air and missile […]

The large-scale use of unmanned weapons platforms in Ukraine reflects the rapid evolution of modern warfare, where tactical advantages are often short-lived due to the emergence of countermeasures. With Ukraine ramping up production of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, this surge highlights Ukraine’s growing reliance on unmanned systems for defence. Lessons from the war show that […]

BAE Systems’ Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) completed initial in-water trials in late 2024, barely a year after commencing development. What was behind this fast-track effort, and how was it achieved? Recent years have seen growing interest in the utility of long endurance, large payload robotic submersibles as ‘force multipliers’. This reflects a view […]

While neither as reliable as high-end bespoke munitions, nor as overwhelming as traditional massed artillery, the growing array of affordable precision strike options offers militaries a third way forward. The tradeoff between mass and precision has often characterised discussions regarding warfare. Militaries can either achieve statistical effects (for example that a given weight of fire […]

The growing and increasingly-quiet submarine fleets of potential adversaries present Western navies with a resource-intensive challenge using traditional ASW approaches. This article examines a number of more cost-effective and scalable alternative methods that may allow navies to do more with less. The prosecution of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) represents one of the most complex aspects of […]

Ever since the NATO Prague summit in late 2002, NATO has fundamentally changed. This change can be witnessed by the addition of new members and the transformation of the alliance that has strengthened its deterrence posture. As an intrinsic part of the transformation process training has had a major part to play and this role […]

The US Army is moving ahead with efforts to ensure that manoeuvre forces enhance their mobility with requisite on-the-move networking and command-and-control capabilities. One of the key takeaways from the ongoing war in Ukraine sounds like one of the most obvious, particularly for land manoeuvre forces: Movement is life, staying still is death. Manoeuvre formations […]

It is remarkable how a change in leadership in one country can so radically alter the overall strategic picture for many others, especially when this country is the US. In the wake of the Munich Security Conference, and the disastrous 28 February 2025 meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Europe finds itself at […]

Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has maintained the ban on arms exports, naturally directing all supplies to sustain its own effort to repel Moscow’s onslaught. Now, three full years into the war, there are more and more voices highlighting the need to lift the restrictions. In October 2024, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem […]

The demand for anti-tank guided missiles is expected to grow in the near future, with a clear need for new capabilities. Since their introduction in the 1950s and 1960s, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) have evolved from purely anti-tank assets into versatile weapons capable of engaging a wide range of targets, including armoured fighting vehicles, low-and-slow […]

The issue of legal and procedural forensics does not come up very often in this publication. However, the collection, handling, storage, and exploitation of evidence of use of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons and materials is actually an issue of vital importance. The idea that forensics is something that police and courts need […]

The market for armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) is growing, and the vehicle turret market is following suit. The armoured fighting vehicle and vehicle turret markets are closely linked, both influenced by shared dynamics and various factors—political, technological, and tactical. Some of these factors were present during the past decade, while a number of new factors […]

Protected patrol vehicles balance mobility with protection from mine and ballistic threats. While they come in various size, weight and protection configurations, the current trend is pointing towards prioritising enhanced mobility over heavy armour. What follows is a selected overview of currently marketed systems. Protected patrol vehicles (PPVs) are versatile or multi-mission-capable vehicles. The British […]