Vice Adm. Tony Radakin. Royal Navy Photo
LONDON — A Royal Navy officer who lead U.S./U.K. efforts to rebuild the Iraqi navy following the 2003 invasion is to be appointed to the top job in Britain’s ‘senior service.’ Read More
According to the Google translation of a Ukraine Ministry of Defense timeline, “Armored artillery boats ‘Berdyansk’ and ‘Nikopol’ were attacked by the enemy. Harbor tug ‘Yana Kapu’ was also forced to stop. Ukrainian ships are seized by Russian Special Forces. There is also information about two wounded Ukrainian sailors.” Ukraine Ministry of Defense photo.
Russian maritime forces have fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels that were attempting to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov. Read More
Arrowhead frigate design for Royal Navy Type 31E competition. Babcock Photo
LONDON — Plans to build five Type 31e frigates for the Royal Navy have been thrown into disarray after Britain’s defense chiefs decided to pause the procurement competition. Read More
HMS Queen Elizabeth sails into her home port of Portsmouth. MoD Photo
LONDON — The U.K.’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers should be able to conduct warfighting missions without support from allied forces, an influential parliamentary committee insisted last week. Read More
HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived back in Portsmouth following successful First of Class rotary wing trials in the Atlantic. Royal Navy Photo
LONDON – Earlier this month, Britain’s national security adviser declared that the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers would be unlikely to ever deploy on high-end combat missions without support from friendly forces. Read More
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) transits alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) during exercise Saxon Warrior 2017. US Navy Photo
LONDON — A spirited initiative by Royal Navy leaders to accelerate the adoption of autonomous systems in the British fleet has been gently challenged by the senior admiral at the U.S. Office of Naval Research. Read More
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency tests its Sea Hunter unmanned vehicle — the technology demonstration vessel it designed, developed and built through its anti-submarine warfare continuous trail unmanned vessel program, or ACTUV — in Portland, Ore., prior to an April 7 commissioning ceremony. DARPA photo.
LONDON — The U.S. Navy is preparing to take full control of the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program and procure a second craft. Read More
BMT Defence bid for the Royal Navy Type 31E Frigate
LONDON — The Royal Navy’s planned Type-31e light frigate will transform the dismal export record of U.K.-based shipbuilders, a senior government minister told attendees at the DSEI exhibition in London. U.K. defense secretary Sir Michael Fallon said that Britain’s shipyards have not built a frigate for another country since the 1970s. Read More
First Sea Lord Adm. Sir Philip Jones on Sept. 12, 2017. Royal Navy Photo
LONDON — Britain’s naval chief has unveiled plans to deploy unmanned systems for routine mine hunting missions as part of a wider Royal Navy vision that includes the rapid adoption of autonomous air systems, open architectures and artificial intelligence. Read More
Trident II D5 Launch. US Navy Photo
LONDON — The unshakeable reliability of Britain’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent has been called into question after a Trident II D5 ballistic missile reportedly veered off course during a test last year. Read More
