Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have developed and patented a transparent thermoplastic elastomer armor that will be lighter and capable of regeneration in the battlefield. The armor will be made of thermoplastic elastomers, soft, rubbery polymers converted by physical means,
Australian sailors aboard Darwin-based patrol boat, HMAS Maryborough, marked the 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Perth (I), with a midnight ceremony over the wreck in the Sunda Strait. The service took on special significance this year, with increased efforts to preserve the wreck over which
In an effort to accelerate progress on the electromagnetic railgun development, BAE Systems announced the acquisition of Ohio-based IAP Research. Prior to the acquisition, IAP Research was a major BAE Systems subcontractor on the U.S. Navy-led development of an electromagnetic (EM) railgun. The Dayt
U.S. Navy researchers from several branches are working on a software system that uses intelligent agents to guide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that each serve as a ‘wingman’ in manned/unmanned teams, in simulated beyond-visual-range (BVR) air combat missions. The system is called Tactical Battle
Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise is conducting scientific research in South Georgia, one of the most southerly points in what was once the British Empire. More than 7,000 miles from her home in Plymouth, the survey ship is enjoying the final weeks of the Austral summer to support British scient
After last year’s reports said Dutch warships had disappeared from the floor of the Java Sea, a joint Dutch-Indonesian investigation confirmed initial fears saying that “salvage operations of some kind have indeed occurred”. The disappearance of ships was first noted in November 2016 when a diving t
The wreck of the U.S. Navy’s World War II cruiser USS Houston (CA 30) lying in Indonesian waters appears to be intact, an analysis of data from a multi-beam sonar survey has revealed. Following a 2014 expedition, specialists from the Naval History and Heritage Command Underwater Archeology (UA) Bran
Following an operational tasking in the second part of 2016, RFA Wave Ruler returned home for a maintenance period which was completed in January. Wave Ruler returned to her tanker duties in support of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) after setting sail on January 22. Wave Ruler is tasked to carry o
The U.S. Coast Guard will test potential heavy polar icebreaker design models at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) in St John’s, Newfoundland. Announced by the U.S. Coast Guard’s acquisition directorate, the government to government agreement for the heavy polar icebreaker acquisition program
European researchers, enterprises and academic organizations have completed a long-running study on ways to protect navy ships from corrosion. Dubbed the Corrosion Control for Navy Ships, the European Defence Agency (EDA) led project ran from 2013-2016 and resulted in a number of potential solutions
The U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) is funding the development of an underwater robotic explosive ordnance disposal device that will keep divers out of harm’s way. The contract award was announced by RE2 Robotics, a developer of robotic manipulator arms, which has received a small busines
To battle submarines in the Baltic Sea, you need to have a torpedo developed specifically for the Baltic Sea, Swedish torpedo developers have said. In a recent article posted on the Defence Materiel Administration website, Sweden’s torpedo developers explain what a process to develop and produce a n
Researchers have found the ‘U 581’ World War II submarine belonging to Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine. The submarine lies at a depth of nearly 900 meters on the sea bed off the Portuguese Azores island of Pico. Researchers from the German Rebikoff-Niggeler-Foundation found the wreck in September 2016 b
During a December 2016 test at China Lake, the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center’s Weapons Division-developed Spike missile, twice, demonstrated the capability of the missile to shoot down an Outlaw UAV with one shot. Spike is a forward-firing miniature munition that can be launched from the ground or t
