The Hellenic Navy's frigate   Hydra  is pictured at Salamis Naval Station prior to departing for the Red Sea on 26 February.  (Hellenic MoD)  The Hellenic Navy has despatched its lead Hydra (MEKO 200 HN)-class frigate to the Red Sea where it will participate in the European Union's (EU's) new maritime security mission Operation ‘Aspides'.  The EU officially launched Operation ‘Aspides' on 19 February to help protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from the ongoing attacks by Iran-backed Ansar...

The German Navy's Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS  Hessen  (F 221) departs Wilhelmshaven, bound for the Red Sea, on 8 February.  (Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)  The European Union (EU) has officially launched its new maritime operation to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.  The new mission, dubbed Operation ‘Aspides', was inaugurated on 19 February with the aim of providing EU naval presence to help restore and protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea...

The Russian Navy's Ropucha-class Project 775 LST   Tsesar Kunikov  (158).  (Yoruk Isik)  The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (GUR) claims that its Group 13 unit has conducted a successful attack against the Russian Ropucha I-class tank landing ship (LST) Tsesar Kunikov using Magura V unmanned surface vessels (USVs).  Video footage released by the GUR on its Telegram channel on 14 February shows USVs approaching a Ropucha I landing ship and at least two detonating against its port side. The LST is then shown listin...

Hessen  departs Wilhelmshaven naval base on 8 February, bound for the Mediterranean.   (Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)    The German Navy has despatched its Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS   Hessen  (F 221) to the Mediterranean ahead of the launch of the European Union's (EU's) new naval operation to protect merchant shipping against attacks by the Ansar Allah group (commonly known as the Houthis) in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.   Hessen  departed Wilhelmshaven, bound for the Mediterran...

The US Marine Corps ACV is designed to deploy off the back of a ship and swim in open waters as well as operate in littoral environments. (US Marine Corps)  Amphibious combat vehicles (ACVs) and other tactical vehicles find themselves with an uncertain future until after the US Marine Corps (USMC) finishes its Infantry Battalion Experimentation (IBX), service officials said in January.  The USMC first released its Ground Combat and Tactical Vehicle Strategy (GCTVS) in 2021, but service leaders have since incorporated the vehicle strategy into...

Iver Huitfeldt  sets sail from Korsør on 29 January. The frigate is Denmark's contribution to strengthening maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.  (Rune Dyrholm/The Armed Forces)  The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) has despatched its air-defence frigate Iver Huitfeldt (F 361) to the Red Sea where it will participate in the US-led multinational task force Operation ‘Prosperity Guardian'.  Iver Huitfeldt set sail from Korsør bound for the Mediterranean on 29 January, the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the sam...

Sentinel‐1A, launched in 2014, was the first Earth-observation satellite built for Europe's Copernicus programme. (ESA)  The European Union (EU) awarded separate contracts to two consortiums led by Telespazio and OHB System on 23 January to explore the feasibility of exploiting the Copernicus Earth-observation constellation for defence.  The two contracts were awarded as part of the Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS), which seeks to bolster the defence and security of the EU member states. The selected consortiums will now compete...

Pakistan's retaliatory strike on 18 January was in response to an Iranian attack on 16 January. PAF assets at Shahbaz airbase and Turbat International Airport were possibly used in the strike. (Janes)    Pakistan's military conducted a retaliatory airstrike on Iran on 18 January in response to Tehran using missiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on    alleged insurgents in western Pakistan on 16 January.   Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate said on 18 January that the Pakistan Air F...

LATACC is primarily being funded by the European Defence Fund and includes a range of companies specialising in key technology areas such as cloud software, communications, sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence, and system resilience in challenging environments. (Thales)  A project to enhance and accelerate collaborative combat for European land forces has been launched following the signing of a grant agreement between Thales and the European Commission, the company announced on 17 January.  Called the Land Tactical Collaborative Combat...

HMS   Richmond   deploys to the Red Sea to help safeguard international shipping.  (Crown copyright)  The UK Royal Navy (RN) has deployed a third ship to the Gulf to provide resilience to UK naval presence in the region amid ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on merchant shipping.    The Type 23 Duke-class frigate HMS   Richmond  (F 239) departed Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, the UK on 6 January and is now en route to the Gulf to support the international effort to protect shipping...

Lithuania acquires Thales GM200 MM/C radar systems in a deal with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. (Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania)  Lithuania has acquired new Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission Compact radars (GM200 MM/C) to strengthen its artillery capabilities.  The deal, struck between the Lithuanian and Netherlands ministries of defence, is valued at EUR126.7 million (USD138.6 million) for an undisclosed number of GM200 MM/C radar systems, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced on 3...

The Romanian Navy's first Sandown-class minehunter arrives at the Port of Constanta on 19 December 2023. (Romanian MoD)  The first of two ex-Royal Navy (RN) Sandown-class mine-countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) procured by Romania from the United Kingdom has arrived in country.  Sub-Lieutenant Ion Ghiculescu  (M 270), which previously served in the RN as HMS   Blyth  (M 111), departed the UK on 15 November and completed a 4,500 n miles journey across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Sea of Marmara, and Black Sea to arrive at the Port...

The UK has committed the Type 45 Daring-class destroyer HMS   Diamond  to Operation ‘Prosperity Guardian', which has been set up to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.   (UK Ministry of Defence 2020)    The UK Royal Navy (RN's) Type 45 Daring-class destroyer HMS   Diamond  (D 34) has joined the newly formed multinational security initiative international task force set up to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.   The new naval protection force, dubb...

Babcock has been contracted to provide sustainment and support for the two ex-Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters recently donated by the UK to Ukraine. (UK MoD/Crown Copyright)  Babcock International has been awarded a contract covering the support and maintenance of the Ukrainian Navy's two newly acquired ex-Royal Navy (RN) Sandown-class mine-countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) – Chernihiv (ex-HMS Grimsby) and Cherkasy (ex-HMS Shoreham).  Under the MCMV contract, announced by Babcock on 15 December, the company will provide preventative mainte...

USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro touted the EW capabilities of the EA-18G Growlers. (US Navy)  Recent global conflicts highlight the increasing use of electronic warfare (EW) in military operations, US Navy (USN) Secretary Carlos Del Toro said on 12 December during a keynote speech at the Association of Old Crows' (AOC's) 60th Annual International Symposium & Convention at National Harbor, Maryland.  “For the US and our NATO allies, the conflict in Ukraine reinforces the emphasis we place on developing and maintaining a ready, interoperable comb...

Queen Elizabeth  pictured in the South China Sea during its inaugural deployment to the Indo-Pacific region in 2021.  (Royal Navy)  The UK's planned carrier strike group (CSG) deployment to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025 will include a port call to Japan, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.  The 2025 naval task force, which will include an aircraft carrier, its escorts, and F-35 combat aircraft, will work alongside the Japan Self-Defense Forces and other partners to help defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacif...

The maritime capability coalition will support Ukraine's two newly acquired ex-Royal Navy Sandown-class mine countermeasure vessels,   Chernihiv   (ex-HMS   Grimsby)   and   Cherkasy  (ex-HMS   Shoreham   ), which were commissioned into service in July 2023.   Cherkasy   is pictured during the flag-raising ceremony, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland.  (Armed Forces of Ukraine)  The United Kingdom and Norway have established a maritime capability coalition...

The SIG716 is a gas-cycled, air‐cooled, magazine box-fed weapon of a conventional layout with a maximum hitting range of 800 m. (SIG SAUER)  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of 70,000 additional SIG Sauer's SIG716 7.62×51 mm rifles worth INR8.4 billion (USD100 million) for the Indian Army, A Bharat Bhushan Babu, principal spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD),told Janes on 14 December.  The MoD ordered the first batch of 72,400 SIG716 rifles worth USD90 million in 2020 using the Fast Track...

A trial held at Radnor Range, Wales, in October demonstrated how a blend of live and synthetic environments can be used to assure artificial intelligence. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 December that they have developed, alongside a consortium of companies, a new test and evaluation (T&E) capability for the assurance of autonomous systems under Project Zeus.  Led by Radnor Range, the new capability blends live and synthetic evaluation techniques to create a fast and more efficient approach to the T&E of aut...

More US attack submarines such as USS   Asheville  are planned to call in Australia under the AUKUS agreement.  (US Navy)  US, UK, and Australian leaders noted their AUKUS agreement Pillar 1 milestones and plans on 1 December, even as the US struggles to reach its own desired submarine production rate.  “There has been an enormous amount of progress, particularly in respect of Australia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability, with the help of the United States and United Kingdom under Pillar 1 of AUKUS,...