Damen Naval marked the official start of the construction phase of the Type 126 frigates programme with a steel-cutting ceremony on 5 December. Pictured (from left to right): Damen Shipyards Group's CEO Arnout Damen and Lürssen CEO Friedrich Lürssen. (Damen/Felix Matthies)  Damen Naval held a steel-cutting ceremony for the first Type 126 multi-purpose frigate on order for the German Navy at NVL Group's Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast, Germany, on 5 December.  Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group was awarded a EUR4.6 billion (USD5 billion)...

The Latvian MoD has signed a EUR600 million contract with Diehl for IRIS-T SLM air-defence systems. (Diehl)  The Latvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Diehl Defence have announced that they signed a contract on 30 November for the delivery of the IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) air-defence system to Latvia. The EUR600 million (USD649 million) contract was signed by Latvian National Armaments Director Mārtiņš Paškēvičs and Torsten Cook, senior vice-president of Diehl Defence's ground-based air-defence business unit.  The order follo...

The Latvian MoD has signed a EUR600 million contract with Diehl for IRIS-T SLM air-defence systems. (Diehl)  The Latvian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Diehl Defence have announced that they signed a contract on 30 November for the delivery of the IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) air-defence system to Latvia. The EUR600 million (USD649 million) contract was signed by Latvian National Armaments Director Mārtiņš Paškēvičs and Torsten Cook, senior vice-president of Diehl Defence's ground-based air-defence business unit.  The order follo...

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,...

The Spanish Navy's first S-80 Plus submarine,   Isaac Peral,  was commissioned into service on 30 November 2023.   (Janes/Kate Tringham)  The Spanish Navy's first new S-80 Plus-class diesel-electric submarine (SSK) has been commissioned into service following the completion of sea acceptance trials.    First-of-class   Isaac Peral  (S-81) was formally commissioned during a ceremony held at the Spanish Navy's naval base in Cartagena on 30 November.   Isaac Peral  is the first of four S-80...

Despite concerns over submarine-building capacity to meet AUKUS Pillar 1 needs, AUKUS countries are moving ahead with Pillar 2 efforts. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  While questions remain about the ability of Australia, the UK, and the US (AUKUS) to meet submarine requirement commitments for their AUKUS Pillar 1 agreement, the trio of defence partners detailed more specific Pillar 2 ambitions on 1 December.  Defence and government officials underscored plans aimed to better develop technology related to autonomous operations, electronic warfare (EW...

Australia, the UK, and the US are looking for more streamlined processes to share submarine-building technology for AUKUS. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Australia, the UK, and the US will need to depend on industry and more streamlined processes for sharing data and technology for their AUKUS agreement to succeed, according to US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins.  “There's no way we're going to do this without industry being involved,” Jenkins said during a 27 AUKUS discussion at the Atlantic Counci...

The US Navy conducted another exercise in the Gulf using unmanned systems such as the MAST-13 USV. (US Navy)  Recent events underscore how military operators are beginning to increasingly test and deploy unmanned systems in the Gulf.    US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) utilised Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS   Indianapolis   (LCS 17) as a staging base and command centre on 27 November for a host of unmanned systems during live weapons firing exercises in the international waters of the central Gulf, US Navy (US...

The Aster 30 missile (pictured above) is a two-stage kinetic kill effector fitted with an active seeker with an interception range of approximately 100 km against threats operating at altitudes up to 20,000 m. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) Aster 30 SAMP/T (Sol-Air Moyenne-Portée/Terrestre or surface-to-air medium range/land based) self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system has achieved full operational capability (FOC), the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a press release on 29 Nov...

The new multi-purpose vessel, which will be named   D João II  , is planned to enter service in the second half of 2026.  (Damen)  Damen Shipyards Group has been awarded a contract for the design, construction, and outfitting of a new multi-purpose vessel for the Portuguese Navy.  Announcing the contract award on 24 November, Damen said the 107 m-long vessel had been designed to meet the Portuguese Navy's requirement for a platform that combined oceanic research with unmanned systems deployment capabilities.  The...

The Sting Ray torpedo is to be integrated aboard the RAF's fleet of Poseidon MRA1 aircraft. (Crown Copyright)  The United Kingdom is to arm its fleet of Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) with the domestically developed Sting Ray torpedo.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the decision on 30 November, saying the British-built Sting Ray will be used alongside the US-built Mk 54 torpedo that was delivered as part of the US government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) package.  “The programme to integrate Sting Ray...

A still from media coverage of the commissioning of  Bani Yas  , the first of the UAE's two Gowind corvettes, on 29 November 2023.  (WAM news agency)  The first of the two Gowind corvettes the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ordered from France's Naval Group was commissioned into service on 29 November, the UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced.  Bani Yas  (P110) was commissioned by Vice-President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan at the Mina Zayed naval base in Abu Dhabi just under two years after it was lau...

Deylaman  formally entered service on 27 November.  (Islamic Republic News Agency)  The Northern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) officially received its new frigate on 27 November, nearly six years after its previous one sank in an accident.    IRINS   Deylaman  (78) was formally inducted into service in Bandar-e Anzali on the Caspian, with photographs showing the event took place at one of the port's grain terminals, not at the IRIN base where it was built.   Deylaman  replaces...

Firing of the Brahmos-ER. (Ministry of Defence, India)  India has carried out another test fire of its extended-range (ER) BrahMos PJ-10 supersonic cruise missile from a Kolkata/Visakhapatnam (Project 15A/15B)-class guided destroyer, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) disclosed on 27 November.    The missile was fired from the programme's sixth hull, which will be in service as INS   Imphal  once it is commissioned. It was fired as part of the vessel's pre-commissioning trials, the ministry added.   India's BrahMos PJ...

Graphic depiction of the French Navy's new offshore patrol vessel. (Naval Group)  The French defence procurement agency, Directorate General of Armament (DGA), has ordered seven new multi-purpose offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the French Navy.  Announcing the milestone on 23 November the DGA said the acquisition covered three contracts totalling EUR900 million (USD985.03 million), which were signed on 17 November.  Under the contract awards, the ships will be built by a temporary shipbuilding consortium comprising Constructions Mécaniques...

The 3SM Tyrfing missile is expected to utilise solid-fuel ramjet propulsion. (Kongsberg)  Norway has disclosed plans to jointly develop a new long-range, high-speed naval strike weapon with Germany.  Announcing the move on 24 November, Norwegian Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said the projected SuperSonic Strike Missile (3SM) – given the name Tyrfing (a magic sword in Norse mythology) – was entering preliminary development pending a more substantive investment decision next year. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, which has previously develope...

Rohde & Schwarz unveiled a compact version of its Ardronis family of C-UASs. The system was seen operating at NATO's Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Technical Interoperability Exercise (C-UAS TIE23). (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Germany-based Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has unveiled a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) called Ardronis Locate Compact.    Ardronis Locate Compact is a small, ruggedised system designed for the detection and localisation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially over large areas such as military bases, a...

A mock-up of the Sky Sword II missile – locally known as the TC-2 land-based missile – is pictured at TADTE 2023. The missile structure consists of the active radar seeker, followed by the electronics section, proximity fuze, warhead, and rocket motor, ending in the exhaust. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  Taiwan's state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has started the mass production of its land-based short-to-medium-range air-defence capability known as the Sky Sword II (locally termed Tien Chien II), a Republic o...

Israeli MoD Director General Eyal Zamir signed the final contract for the AWS sale to Germany on 23 November. (IAI)  The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on X (formerly Twitter) on 23 November that its Director General, Eyal Zamir, signed the final contract for the USD3.6 billion sale of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) to Germany earlier the same day. In addition to the AWS and Arrow 3 missiles, the contract includes an initial package of spare parts and training of Luftwaffe crews.  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Is...

The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System – pictured above firing an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile at Woomera Test Range in South Australia in mid-November – provides air defence against a variety of aerial threats, including UAV, missile, helicopter, and aircraft attacks within 40–50 km. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has started inducting its new short-range ground-based air-defence capability known as the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), a spokesperson for the Australi...