The Royal Marines Commando Raiding Craft are now operational. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Marines has inducted the first batch of revamped raiding craft designed for use on coastal commando raids.  The vessels, which have been redesignated as Commando Raiding Craft (CRC), are an upgraded version of the service's in-service Offshore Raiding Craft (ORC). It is a multi-purpose craft that can be reconfigured, replacing the troop carrying and fire support variants.  Announcing the milestone, the Royal Navy (RN) said the in-service fleet of ORC...

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...

A Pentagon report confirms the effectiveness of modified Mk 48 torpedoes. (US Department of Defense)  The US Navy's modified Advanced Processor Build (APB) 5+ Mk 48 torpedo is “operationally effective and suitable”, according to the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) FY 2023 Annual Report, released on 2 February.  However, “Mk 48 Mod 7 torpedo reliability has degraded below navy-defined requirements”, the DOT&E noted, recommending the navy determine and correct the causes of the degraded reliability of that modified Mk 48.  The...

HMS   Prince of Wales  departs Portsmouth Harbour on 12 February to take part in Exercise ‘Steadfast Defender 2024' with NATO partners off the coast of Norway.  (Crown Copyright)    The UK Royal Navy's (RN's) second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS   Prince of Wales  sets sail from Portsmouth on 12 February bound for northern Norway where it will lead an international task group in the NATO Exercise ‘Steadfast Defender 2024'.   Prince of Wales  will participate in the exercise...

Milkor UAE's 16 m patrol craft, Commander, at WDS 2024. (Milkor UAE)  Milkor UAE unveiled a new 16 m patrol craft, named Commander, at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February.  Milkor has designed the vessel specifically for the Middle Eastern region and is responsible for the manufacturing of the craft.  Development started in late 2023 and the craft will take another year to be manufactured in full scale ahead of its official launch in February 2025 at IDEX. While Milkor Commander has been primarily developed f...

The XLX-C work-class remote-operated vehicle is a new acquisition to enhance the salvage capability of SALMO. It is operated and maintained by a team of SALMO staff and builds on SALMO's long history of operating ROVs. (UK DE&S)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has completed the first operation with a newly acquired Forum Energy Technologies (FET) deep-water remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Janes has learnt.  Procured last year to meet an urgent capability requirement (UCR), the XLX-C ROV was used by the MoD's Salvage and Marine Operations (...

The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic has received all eight of its EL/M-2084 radars, with FOC expected by the end of 2024. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Czech Republic's EL/M-2084 Multi-Mission radars (MMRs) from Elta Systems will reach full operating capability (FOC) by the end of 2024, Janes learnt.  A spokesperson from the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic told Janes that all eight radars are now in the country after the final system was delivered in December 2023, with FOC expected before the end of the 2024.  In December 2019 the armed f...

Shahid Mahdavi  , seen here when it was officially commissioned in March 2023, was used to launch ballistic missiles.   (IRNA)  Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched ballistic missiles from a ship for the first time, the force announced on 13 February.  Iranian news agencies reported that the launch was a collaboration between the IRGC's naval and aerospace forces and involved missiles from the Fateh family.    A video released by the IRGC shows two missiles elevated on launchers in containers on the deck...

The La Fayette modernisation programme will extend the frigates' service lives out to around 2030. (Naval Group)  Naval Group has officially concluded the French Navy's La Fayette-class frigate (Frégates de type La Fayette: FLF) modernisation programme following redelivery of the third and final refurbished frigate to the fleet.    Announcing the milestone on 12 February Naval Group said that FS   Aconit   (F 713) was redelivered to the French Navy after completing a six-month refit followed by a series of dockside and sea tria...

A Pentagon report recommends the US Navy replace its Air and Missile Defense Radar testing model. (Raytheon)  The US Navy (USN) should replace the testing model of its Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR), designated the AN/SPY-6(V)1, according to the Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) FY 2023 Annual Report, released on 2 February.  The operational assessment (OA) being done on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 used for testing “was not intended to determine operational effectiveness and suitability of the delivered AMDR due to th...

The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex conducted a successful ballistic missile defence test. (US Army)  The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and US Navy (USN) successfully demonstrated that the Aegis Weapon System can track and discriminate a medium-range ballistic missile target with countermeasures during a complex target scene, the MDA confirmed on 8 February.  The MDA also confirmed the successful execution of Flight Test Other-23 (FTX-23) or Stellar Sisyphus, a two-part developmental test of sensor tracking and communications link ca...

The Aliaca is a light tactical fixed-wing UAS that can be used for a wide range of intelligence, surveillance, and inspection missions or operations, in a maritime, coastal, or land environment. (Charles Wassilieff/Marine Nationale/Défense)  The French Navy is set to receive a second batch of Aliaca Evo fixed-wing electric unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) from Airbus Group subsidiary Survey Copter.  Under a contract awarded by French defence procurement agency Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), Survey Copter will supply 15 UASs to the Fr...

Turkey's Ministry of National Defence, SSB, and Roketsan signed contracts on 3 February for the serial production of Tayfun, Sungur (displayed at DIMDEX 2022), Karaok, and TRLG-230 missiles. (Janes/Shaurav Gairola)  Turkey's Ministry of National Defence announced on its website on 3 February that it, the Defence Industry Agency (SSB), and Turkish missile house Roketsan signed contracts earlier the same day for the serial production of Tayfun, Sungur, Karaok, and Artillery Rocket Laser Guided-230 (TRLG-230) missiles for the Turkish Land Forces...

Aircraft carrier USS   Gerald R Ford  has reported success with launching and recovery systems, but a Pentagon report says more testing is needed.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  US Navy (USN) aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) has proven the effectiveness of its flight operations and other vital systems during recent deployments and testing, but some of these systems still present reliability issues, according to the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) FY 2023 Annual Report released on 2 February....

A Royal Malaysian Navy G2000 Mk II fast interceptor craft, seen here at the vessel's induction ceremony in Sandakan on 2 February 2024. (Royal Malaysian Navy)  Malaysia will deploy all four of its newly received G2000 Mk II fast interceptor craft (FIC) at its Sandakan Naval Base in East Malaysia, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has confirmed.  “All four vessels will operate with the Eastern Command's Naval Area 2 in Sandakan to enhance the area's security especially in eastern Sabah, and act as force multipliers to the navy,” reads a statemen...

Kronstadt  , the second Lada-class SSK on order for the Russian Federation Navy, is pictured during its commissioning ceremony at Admiralty Shipyards on 31 January.  ( United Shipbuilding Corporation)  The Russian Federation Navy (RFN) formally commissioned Kronstadt, the second Project 677 Lada (Sankt Petersburg)-class diesel-electric submarine (SSK), in a ceremony at Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg on 31 January.  Speaking at the ceremony, which was announced by Admiralty Shipyards the same day, RFN Commander-in-Chief Admi...

The keel-laying ceremony of the first Swordfish frigate was held on 31 January. (PGZ)  A keel-laying ceremony for Poland's first Project 106 Miecznik (Swordfish)-class frigate was held at the Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa: PGZ) Naval Shipyard in Gdynia on 31 January, PGZ has confirmed.    The future ORP   Wicher   (274) is the first of three multi-purpose frigates in the class being built by PGZ Naval Shipyard in co-operation with strategic partners Babcock (as the platform design provider and technology part...

The Constellation-class frigate design is derived from the Italian Navy's Bergamini-class FREMM frigates. (US Navy)  Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias has announced that the country is interested in the joint production of a modified version of the Constellation-class frigates being built for the US Navy (USN). Dendias' comments were made following a meeting with the defence minister of the Republic of Cyprus on 29 January.  “On 16 January we received a letter from the US Navy accepting in principle our interest in the co-desig...

Taiwan showcased the Sky Bow III surface-to-air missile system during a media event at Hualien Air Force Base in August 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)  Taiwan has initiated deployment of its Sky Bow III surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems – known locally as Tien Kung III – at existing MIM-23 Hawk and Sky Bow II air-defence system sites, a Republic of China Army (RoCA) officer told Janes on 29 January.  The move follows a budgetary report submitted by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) to the Legislative Yuan in October 2023, w...

The NDMA has ordered NASAMS from Kongsberg to replace systems donated to Ukraine, with deliveries to the Norwegian Armed Forces expected in 2026–27. (Forsvaret)  The Norwegian government has ordered new National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMSs) from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to replace systems donated to Ukraine, the company announced in a press release on 31 January. Kongsberg valued the contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) at approximately NOK1.4 billion (USD133 million),  with deliveries expe...