NRP Bérrio, which was decommissioned in 2020, will be replaced by two replenishment and logistics ships as part of the Portuguese Navy's national fleet renewal programme. (Victor Barreira)

The Portuguese Navy is acquiring two fleet replenishment and logistics ships as part of its national fleet renewal programme, the service has confirmed to Janes .

Competitors interested in meeting the tender have until 27 April to deliver their proposals.

A EUR100 million (USD106.4 million) budget for acquiring the two support ships was included in the Military Programming Law 2023–34, approved by the Portuguese authorities in July 2023.

An international tender by the Directorate of Ships for the construction of the ships was issued on 28 March for publication in the Official Gazette of Portugal and the Official Journal of the European Union.

The acquisition of the two ships will be ordered separately, the navy said. The construction of the first ship is scheduled to start in the second half of 2024, followed by the second in the first half of 2026, the navy added.

The keel was laid for guided-missile frigate Constellation , the lead ship for the new class of surface ships. (US Navy)

The keel for the guided-missile frigate Constellation (FFG 62), the lead ship of the new Constellation-class of ships, was laid on 12 April, the US Navy (USN) confirmed.

Speaking at the keel-laying ceremony on the same day, USN Secretary Carlo Del Toro noted the need to augment the fleet with ships like FFGs, especially with recent events in the Red Sea.

“ Constellation and the Constellation-class frigates are a critical next step in the modernisation of our surface ship inventory, increasing the number of players on the field available globally for our fleet and combatant commanders,” Del Toro said during his speech, according to the USN.

“As recent events in the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific have shown, our ships, submarines, aircraft, sailors, and marines are in high demand by our national decision makers,” he said.

Testifying on 10 April before the House Appropriations Committee (HAC), Del Toro noted some of the fleet-relative technological enhancements being advanced in the frigate programme.

The Royal Navy is planning to deploy the DragonFire laser weapon (pictured) from one of its warships in 2027. (Crown Copyright)

The UK Royal Navy (RN) will install the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) onboard one of its warships five years earlier than planned under new procurement reforms introduced by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in April.

Announcing the accelerated schedule on 12 April, the RN said that earlier plans to deploy the system in 2032 are being brought forward to 2027 as the need for weapons to counter drones and missile threats – such as those fired by Ansar Allah (Houthi) rebels – continues to grow.

The decision will see the DragonFire laser weapon system rapidly developed from a demonstration programme to an operational capability for the RN.

“We recognise this cutting-edge UK laser weapons technology as highly relevant and the need to accelerate it into service onboard our ships at the earliest opportunity,” said Captain Matt Ryder, head of Above Water Battlespace in the RN's Develop Directorate.