Navy News

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with hypersonic Zircon missiles capable of travelling at several times the speed of sound.Russian news agencies, referring to a video link from the Arctic port of Murmansk, said Putin launched the vessel, named Perm after a city in the Urals, with the order: "I hereby authorise!"The Russian agencies, quoting documents associated with the launch, said the Perm is the first nuclear-powered submarine to be equipped with Zircon missiles as a standard feature.Zircon missiles have a range of 900 km (560 miles) and the

Taiwan's defence minister dismissed on Friday China's complaints about a collision between a Taiwan navy ship and a Chinese trawler in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, vowing that Taipei would carry on military exercises undeterred.China's Taiwan Affairs Office condemned the actions of the Taiwanese landing ship as "wicked" following Thursday's collision off Taiwan's central city of Taichung. Taiwan, however, said it did not take place in "restricted" waters."The Taiwan Affairs Office always says things like this…

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to its decades-old defense treaty with the Philippines during a visit to Manila on Friday, pledging to bolster the alliance with advanced military capabilities in the face of increasing tensions with China. Meeting with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Hegseth underscored Washington’s support for its Indo-Pacific ally, particularly as Manila continues to accuse Beijing of aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

ABB has secured a contract with the West Sea Shipyard located in Viana do Castelo, Portugal to equip six new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) of the Portuguese Navy with an integrated power, propulsion, and automation system designed to ensure optimal efficiency. The vessels are planned to be delivered between 2027 – 2031.The new vessels will be equipped with the Azipod® propulsion system, Onboard DC Grid™ power system platform, and the distributed control system ABB Ability™ System 800xA®.

At the Undersea Defence Technology conference, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Ulstein Verft signed a Letter of Intent for joint efforts to deliver the next advanced frigates to the Royal Norwegian Navy.The 2024 Fleet Plan outlines that Norway will acquire five or six frigates to replace the Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. Potential candidates include the British Type 26, the German F127, the American Constellation-class, and the French FDI.In the event of a contract award for thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Ulstein Verft…

The Philippines is exploring the possibility of converting two islands that were once part of a U.S. navy base into a military reservation, its defence department said on Thursday, a move to bolster its presence in waters facing the South China Sea.Grande and Chiquita islands are located in Subic Bay, which was once a sprawling U.S. base until the Philippines rejected a lease extension in 1991. The U.S. military pulled out a year later and the strategically located facility has…

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines' Armed Forces chief General Romeo S. Brawner said on Wednesday.The Squad is an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States, whose defence forces have conducted joint maritime activities in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea…

Iraqi naval forces have seized an unidentified ship in Iraqi territorial waters in the Gulf suspected of smuggling fuel, the naval forces said in a statement.Fuel smuggling is common in Gulf waters, where heavily subsidised fuel from some countries is sold on the black market to buyers across the region, though it is relatively rare for Iraqi authorities to seize ships.A naval patrol boat intercepted the ship on Tuesday after receiving intelligence about suspected illegal activity…

HII's Mission Technologies division won a $147m contract to support shipboard and shore-based combat training services for the U.S. Navy.Under the five-year task order, HII will provide engineering support for every aspect of training systems under the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dam Neck Activity (NSWCDD DNA), including associated hardware, software, subsystems and elements. Tasks will range from integrated training system hardware and software installation…

Maritime UK Solent is set to put Maritime Defense at the heart of discussions at the inaugural Solent Coastal Powerhouse Summit on March 26 - 27, 2025, at ABP’s Ocean Cruise Terminal in Southampton.The UK Government has announced the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War, and the Solent Coastal Powerhouse Summit aims to provide a platform high-profile speakers and thought leaders from across the sector. They will provide critical insights into the vital…

German navigation specialist Anschütz has developed a navigation and command system for autonomous and unmanned maritime operations. The approval-ready system has undergone extensive testing in autonomous operation and is currently being prepared for use in prototypes, according to the company.The autonomous navigation and command system from Anschütz provides navies with a sustainable capability and safety enhancement for unmanned systems. It ensures autonomous navigation and control and operation of unmanned platforms…

Greece will spend more than 25 billion euros in arms procurements by 2036, including new submarines, drones, satellites and fighter jets, under a 12-year plan to be submitted to parliament in the coming weeks, three officials with knowledge of the plan told Reuters.The move is part of Greece's bid to modernise its armed forces as it emerges from the 2009-18 debt crisis that led to years of austerity, and as it tries to keep pace with its historic rival Turkey.The two countries are at odds over sea boundaries…

HII was awarded a contract to deliver the new Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) pilot program over the next two years to accelerate the identification and qualification of Australian suppliers and products into the US submarine industrial base.The contract’s initial value is $6m with the option to extend based on achievement.“This contract represents a significant milestone in building a resilient and globally integrated supply chain for nuclear-powered submarines,” said Chris Kastner, president and CEO of HII.

China will boost its defense spending by 7.2% this year, maintaining a steady growth rate as Beijing faces headwinds from three years of sluggish economic expansion amid mounting geopolitical challenges from Taiwan to Ukraine.The increase, announced on Wednesday in a government report due to be released in parliament, matches last year's figure.It remains well above China's economic growth target for this year of roughly 5% - which analysts say was expected and reflected Beijing's ambitions for continued military modernization amid roiling geopolitical challenges.Since Xi became president and

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at the southern port city of Busan in South Korea on Sunday as a show of force against North Korea, South Korea's navy said.It is the first U.S. aircraft carrier to dock at a South Korean port since U.S. President Donald Trump's second term in office began in January.The visit was part of the "ironclad" commitment of the United States to extended deterrence and to show readiness by the military alliance between Seoul and Washington against North Korea, according to the South's navy.The move obviously irked North Korea.

[The following are exerpts and paraphrasing from testimony given by Matthew O. Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), to Congress on the morning of February 26, 2025.]While maritime strength and shipbuilding historically have been a cornerstone of global power, shifting times and geopolitical pressures impact readiness and output. Today, as the world’s geopolitical landscape shifts, so too does the reality of the U.S. shipbuilding and ship repair industry. In testimony before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Matthew O.

EDGE and Fincantieri have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU), deepening their cooperation through joint venture Maestral, which will be focused on the design, development and creation of unmanned systems for critical underwater infrastructure protection and seabed mapping, next-generation submarines, drone-carrier ships, and lightweight torpedoes.The MoU is based on both companies collaborating to develop underwater technologies, supporting the United Arab Emirates…

New Zealand said the Chinese navy conducted a live-fire exercise in international waters near the Pacific nation on Saturday, a day after it held a similar drill between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights."Reporting from the New Zealand Defence Force that the Chinese naval Task Group has advised of a second window for live firing activity, on Saturday afternoon," a spokesperson for Defence Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.Personnel on New Zealand Navy frigate Te Kaha observed live rounds fired from a Chinese vessel's main gun…

Adapting civilian platforms for military use can speed up defence production while increasing standardization, the CEO of Norway's Kongsberg Gruppen said, as pressure to boost military spending in Europe grows under President Donald Trump."The processes need to be simplified so that we get the speed up," arms manufacturer Kongsberg's Geir Håøy told Reuters in an interview published on Friday."What we see is that, even from the defence side now, the question is: How can we utilize commercial products and systems and put them into military systems and militarize them?"Last week…

American Fan working with Ingalls Shipbuilding and other shipbuilders to provide ventilation fans for ten Flight III destroyersFairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has been awarded multiple purchase orders for its Ohio-based business unit, American Fan, to provide cooling and ventilation fans for ten Flight III Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers. The equipment will be installed on future destroyers including USS Thomas Kelley (DDG-140), USS Ernest E. Evans (DDG-141), USS Charles J. French (DDG-142), USS Richard J.

Heavy lift services specialists, Malin Abram, part of the Malin group, have successfully rolled out and floated off HMS Brocklesby, a Hunt Class vessel, representing one of the eight mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy, at His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth. The project, which has involved months of meticulous planning from KBS Maritime and Malin Abram, saw the vessel carefully rolled-onto a semi-submersible launch barge, provided by Tronds Marine, after which it floated off and launched successfully. The contract represents a new relationship between the two companies.

The fifth Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo, hosted by the Indonesian Navy, began on February 16.The biennial exercise will continue until February 22 in Bali, Indonesia, and will involve over 30 ships from more than 15 countries. Russia, China, India and the US are among the participating nations.The non-combatant exercise is themed “Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability” and will emphasize multilateral maritime cooperation and disaster response protocols. The exercises will include an officer exchange forum…

Maestral, an Abu Dhabi-based shipbuilding joint venture between Fincantieri and EDGE, has lined up a major ‘In-Service Support Strategic Partnership Project’ for the entire navy fleet of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), worth over $520 million.The contract to Maestral will be awarded by Tawazun Council, an independent government entity that works closely with the Ministry of Defence and security agencies in the Gulf country.The value of the agreement is of approximately $524 million over a five-years period.Maestral will serve as the industrial strategic partner…