MV   Mentor,  seen here as it arrives at Changi Naval Base in May 2024.   (Singapore MINDEF)    Singapore has leased MV   Mentor,  a 193 m cargo vessel, to support its navy's training requirements.     The vessel has been leased on a commercially owned and commercially operated arrangement, said a Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) spokesperson in a 21 May email response to questions from   Janes  .     It will support the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) NSman...

Saab, Inc builds the aft fuselage for the US Air Force's T-7 jet trainer at a new facility in West Lafayette, Indiana. Above, the T-7 engineering and manufacturing development aircraft takes off from St Louis on its first flight in June 2023. (Boeing)    Saab continues to expand in the US through its Syracuse, New York-based subsidiary, Saab, Inc. In April, the company announced plans to build a new munitions facility in the US and unveiled the Skapa initiative to rapidly develop new capabilities and products, as   Janes  repo...

Seen here firing weapons in the Red Sea in October 2023, USS   Carney  benefited from shoreside support for Aegis performance during recent successful operations in the region.  (US Navy)    The commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS   Carney  (DDG 64) underscored the capability of ship sailors and long-distance shoreside support to use and adapt recent Aegis combat system operations for effective defence against adversary missiles and unmanned systems in the Red Sea during a 20 Ma...

BlueHalo is partnering with Kraken Technology Group to supply autonomy capabilities and payloads for its unmanned surface vehicles including the K4 Manta, pictured above. (BlueHalo)  US company BlueHalo has partnered with Kraken Technology Group in the UK to integrate its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-backed autonomous mission systems into Kraken's unmanned maritime platforms, the companies announced in a joint statement on 3 May.    The co-operation will focus on integrating BlueHalo's autonomy capabilities with...

A rendering of a PAC-3 missile, which Lockheed Martin is working to integrate with the Aegis combat system. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin launched a Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor from an MK-70 containerised launch platform to engage a cruise missile target in flight at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the company confirmed on 20 May.  The test, executed with multiple Department of Defense services and components, marked the first time PAC-3 MSE was launched in this configurati...

Philippine Coast Guard multirole vessel,   Teresa Magbanua  . The service is poised to receive five more similar vessels.   (Pieter Sinke)  The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is poised to receive five more 97 m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).  A ceremony to mark the exchange of diplomatic notes, which effects an official development assistance (ODA) loan from Tokyo to acquire the vessels, was held in Manila on 17 May, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed on the same day.  Under the loan, the...

A model of the Saab GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft at Saab headquarters in Stockholm. (Janes/Jeremiah Cushman)  Saab has an extensive history in Canada, supplying the surveillance radar and fire-control system for Halifax-class frigates, Carl Gustaf anti-tank systems, and training and simulation systems to the Canadian Armed Forces. In February Canada chose Saab's RBS 70 NG (Next Generation) for its soldier-portable air-defence system (SPADS) programme, Simon Carroll, president of Saab Canada, told reporters at Saab headquarters in Stockholm on 13...

HMAS   Anzac  seen here in the Sydney Harbour. The ship was decommissioned on 18 May 2024.  (Janes/Russell Smith)  Australia has decommissioned its lead Anzac (MEKO 200)-class guided-missile frigate.  The vessel, which saw service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as HMAS Anzac, was formally retired in a decommissioning ceremony on 18 May at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia.  Prior to its decommissioning, Anzac was the longest-serving commissioned vessel in service with the RAN, the Australian Department of...

RSS   Inimitable  , the fourth and final Type 218SG boat for the Republic of Singapore Navy, was named at Kiel yard on 22 April 2024. With a length of about 70 m and a displacement of around 2,000 tonnes, the Type 218SG is the largest submarine built by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to date.   (tkMS)  German shipbuilder thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH (tkMS) lays claim to be the world's most successful exporter of submarines in the post-war period. Through its submarine building forebears Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Wer...

FGS   Karlsruhe  is the third of five follow-on K130 corvettes on order for the German Navy.   (Michael Nitz, Naval Press Service)  The third follow-on Braunschweig (K130)-class corvette on order for the German Navy was launched at NV Lürssen (NVL) subsidiary Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg on 7 May, NVL Group announced the same day.    FGS   Karlsruhe  is the third boat of the second batch of five additional corvettes for the German Navy. The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Informa...

NASSCO is in line to build a new class of AS(X) submarine tenders to replace ships such as USS   Emory S Land   pictured here.  (Richard Scott/NAVYPIX)  Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on 8 May advised its intention to award General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) a sole-source contract estimated at up to USD100 million for the AS(X) Submarine Tender Recapitalization Program design development. This is seen as the lead-in to a full detailed design and construction (DD&C) contract for t...

The Dutch MoD has leased a second ro-ro ship, named MV   Southern Rock  , which will be operated by the RNLN to secure strategic transport on a more permanent basis.  (Dutch MoD)  The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) has officially put into service a second roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ship, which it has leased from a private company as part of efforts to secure strategic transport on a permanent basis.    The ship, named MV   Southern Rock  , arrived in Dakar, Senegal, on 15 May with its first load of e...

The Standard Missile (SM)-3 Block IIA missile, pictured above launching from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, is jointly developed by the US and Japan. The MDA said the GPI joint development will be pursued in a construct similar to that used for the SM-3. (US MDA)  Japan and the US have firmed up their co-operation to jointly develop a Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI).  According to the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), the two countries signed a partnership agreement on 15 May to promote collaboration on research and development of...

Fujian  , China's third aircraft carrier, seen here as it departs for its maiden sea trial on 1 May 2024.  (VCG via Getty Images)    China has completed the maiden sea trials for its third aircraft carrier, which will be in service as CNS   Fujian  once it is commissioned. The vessel sailed off from the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on 1 May and the trials were completed eight days later.   The trials focused on testing the “reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier's propulsion and electrical systems”...

Two more Royal Navy Type 23 frigates, HMS  Westminster  (pictured) and HMS  Argyll  , will be retired from service.  (NAVYPIX/Richard Scott)    The Royal Navy's (RN's) Duke-class (Type 23) frigates HMS  Argyll  (F 231) and HMS  Westminster  (F 237) will be retired from service, the UK defence secretary has confirmed.     Speaking at the First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference 2024 in London on 14 May, defence secretary Grant Shapps said that  Argyll  has been...

Germany will pay for three US HIMARSs for Ukraine. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced during a visit to Washington, DC on 8–9 May that Berlin would pay for US High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARSs) for Ukraine. Germany will pay for three HIMARSs from US stocks.  During Pistorius's visit to Ottawa on 10 May, Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair signed an agreement with his German counterpart to contribute CAD76 million (USD55.6 million) to the Immediate Action on Air Defence (IAAD) in...

A keel-laying ceremony for the Italian Navy's new large oceanographic ship was held on 14 May. (Fincantieri)  Fincantieri held a keel-laying ceremony for the Italian Navy's new large oceanographic ship (Nave Idro-Oceanografica Maggiore: NIOM) in Riva Trigoso on 14 May, the shipbuilder confirmed the same day.    The vessel is being procured as part of the Italian Navy's hydro-oceanographic fleet renewal programme. It is intended to replace the navy's ageing 83 m research and survey ship   Ammiraglio Magnaghi  (A 5303) – which h...

The US Navy is trying to develop directed energy systems like HELIOS to counter low-end threats. (Lockheed Martin)  While underscoring effective US Navy (USN) surface-fleet operations in the Red Sea since October, Rear Admiral Fred Pyle, USN surface warfare director, acknowledged a need to not only replenish weapons stocks but also to find additional options to defend forces against low-end threats.  Speaking on 14 May during a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event on Red Sea surface warfare operations, Rear Adm Pyle sai...

The 7.5 m Scout S45 surveillance USV and a 15 m Cavalry A150 attack USV are pictured on display at DSA 2024. The A2000 surveillance and attack USV is seen in the background. (Janes/Vinod Kumar CV)  China's Poly Defence displayed models of a series of new combat and reconnaissance unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and diver support vessels at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.  The displayed vessels included the Scout S45 surveillance USV, the Cavalry A150 attack USV, the A2000 attack and surveillance USV, the SDV-1...

Guyana recently took delivery of Metal Shark 115 Defiant patrol boat. (Metal Shark)  Metal Shark is augmenting its footprint in the Caribbean with a recent boat-building contract with Jamaica, and a delivery of a patrol boat to Guyana.  The Louisiana-based shipyard will be building and maintaining 22 Metal Shark 36 Fearless speedboats for the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), according to a recent contract between the yard and the JDF, Metal Shark confirmed on 2 May.  The Fearless vessels, acquired via direct purchase, will be operated by the JDF...