Weapons Systems
Britain hires industrial team to work on laser weapons
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is preparing a £30M contract which will see a number of companies join together to develop a Laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) capability demonstrator that will give the government an insight into laser weapon possibilities. Led by the missile producer MBDA, the in
Finnish Navy signs LOI for Squadron 2020 ice-going OPVs
Following a request for information (RFI) for its Squadron 2020 project to construct four ice-going offshore patrol vessels, the Finnish Navy has now signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Rauma-based shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions. If the LOI is realized, the company will build f
US Navy destroyer makes port call in French principal navy base
U.S Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) pulled into Toulon, France for a scheduled port visit September 13. While in port, Ross plans on conducting a community relations project and hosting a tour of the ship. Toulon will be Ross’ fifth port visit since getting unde
New anti-air missiles on Type 23 frigates put on display for sailors
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates were given a major anti-air capability upgrade with the Sea Ceptor missile which was recently put on display to soldiers in charge of shooting down enemy aircraft. The HMS Westminster is in the closing stages of a major overhaul in Portsmouth Naval Base which has seen h
Photo: Smallest Royal Navy vessel scans seabed ahead of Queen carrier sea trials
Nineteen times longer, 15 times wider and a staggering 3,000 times heavier, the new carrier dwarfed the small survey craft HMS Gleaner as she scanned the huge inner basin at Rosyth, where Queen Elizabeth is in the final stages of completion. The smallest vessel in the Royal Navy, previously used to
Northrop Grumman joins Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior with minehunting assets
Northrop Grumman Corporation said it would be participating in the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior exercise where the company intends to put its unmanned mine hunting capabilities on show. The unmanned mine hunting element of Unmanned Warrior will feature Northrop Grumman’s AQS-24B towed mine hunting
MBDA to supply a coastal defence system for Qatari Navy
European missile developer MBDA signed a contract with the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) for the supply of a coastal defense system to the Middle East country. According to MBDA, the coastal missile system will deploy two different munitions, Marte ER (the Extended Range version of the Marte miss
HMS Daring to join campaign against Daesh
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced HMS Daring will deploy to the Gulf as the UK’s latest contribution to the campaign against Daesh. The Type 45 destroyer and her 190-strong crew will sail from Portsmouth on Friday with a mission to use her sophisticated radar and missile systems to prot
French DCNS in Indian Scorpene submarine leak scandal
A massive leak of documents containing top-secret technical details of the Indian Navy’s Scorpene-class submarines has hit the French defense company DCNS which is set to build new Australian submarines. The documents, first revealed by The Australian, contain 22,400 pages and detail secret combat c
Battle of Jutland ship brought back to life in 3D recreation
HMS Falmouth, a Royal Navy warship sunk by German U-boats, has been recreated in its final resting place through the use of underwater surveying and digital 3D modelling. The Battle of Jutland ship was sunk off the Yorkshire Coast on August 20, 1916. According to Historic England, the public body th
Boeing to start construction of first two P-8A Poseidons for UK
The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing a $68.4 million contract to start procuring long-lead parts for the production of two P-8A maritime patrol aircraft for the UK government. The contract is part of a larger approx. £3 billion contract under which the UK is to receive nine maritime patrol aircraft. The
Raytheon officially cleared for production of Norwegian Naval Strike Missile in US
Raytheon has received an initial contract to produce Naval Strike Missile (NSM) launchers at its production facility in the United States. Norwegian Kongsberg Defence Systems and the American Raytheon earlier announced their plans to bring the naval missile production from Norway over to Raytheon’s
French Navy’s newest FREMM frigate begins lengthy deployment
FS Languedoc, French Navy’s newest FREMM frigate delivered to the navy in March 2016, left the Toulon Naval Base on August 12 to begin her long-term deployment. With some 140 sailors on board and an embarked NH90 NFH (NATO frigate helicopter), also referred to as Caïman by the French, the FS Langued
UK government signs £184M deal for F-35B ASRAAM missile
The UK Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with European missile manufacturer MBDA worth around £184 million to equip the Royal Navy’s new supersonic stealth combat aircraft with the ASRAAM air-to-air missile. Designed and manufactured in the UK, ASRAAM is a heat-seeking weapon which will give