Aircraft carrier   Enterprise  is running 18–26 months behind schedule.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Major US Navy (USN) shipbuilding programmes are running one to three years behind schedule due in a large part to the lack of a sufficient workforce and supply-chain disruptions, according to a 45-day shipbuilding review of these programmes and USN officials who spoke about the review's findings on 2 April during a roundtable media discussion.  While some of these issues are “lingering” Covid impacts, Nickolas Guertin,...

The US Navy and Missile Defense Agency hit a target using the SM-6 Dual II with Software Upgrade. (Missile Defense Agency)  The US Navy (USN) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) intercepted an advanced medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) test target using the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Dual II with Software Upgrade (SWUP), the MDA confirmed on 28 March.    Guided-missile destroyer USS   Jack H Lucas  (DDG 125), the first Flight III Aegis destroyer equipped with the new SPY-6 radar, participated in the test as part of its Initial...

A screenshot showing the scaled demonstrator beached during testing. (Steller Systems)  UK ship design house Steller Systems has performed sea trials of a subscale concept demonstrator intended to prove a novel hullform that could be exploited as the basis for a future high-speed offshore insertion craft.  Funded by the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) through the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Novel Amphibious Craft competition, the demonstrator has “successfully proven the innovative features” of a full-scale...

Brazilian shipbuilder Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN) launched the third unit of the Riachuelo-class diesel-electric attack submarine (SSK), S Tonelero (S42), on 27 March.  The launch of the S Tonelero (S42) SSK by ICN (a joint venture between Novonor and Naval Group) took place at the Itaguaí Naval Complex.  The submarine is scheduled to be commissioned for Brazilian Submarine Force Command in May 2025, after the vessel completes successful sea trials, the Brazilian Navy told Janes.  S Tonelero is the third of four Riachuelo-class S-BR subm...

Exail's R7 remotely operated vehicle has been procured for the Belgian Navy. (Exail)  Exail has been contracted to supply six R7 remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for the Belgian Navy, the company announced on 2 April.  The ROVs will be used for the inspection and disposal of underwater explosive ordnance, as well as safeguarding harbours, coastal areas, ships, and key infrastructures.  Launched in October 2021, Exail's R7 ROV is a small, compact manportable system designed for operation from small craft such as rigid-hulled inflatable boats...

An Indian Navy Scorpene submarine. Indonesia has signed a contract for two Scorpene Evolved boats, which will be equipped with lithium-ion batteries. (Naval Group)  Naval Group has secured the contract for two lithium-ion batteries-equipped Scorpene Evolved diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) with the Indonesian government.  The contract was secured in collaboration with Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL, Naval Group disclosed in a statement on 2 April.  Under the contract that was inked on 28 March, the two SSKs will be fully built in Indonesia at...

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system (pictured above) is armed with an anti-ship warhead of weight varying between 200 and 300 kg. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Indian Army test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Akash semi-mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) in two separate exercises that took place in late March.  The BrahMos test was carried out by the Rising Sun missile unit of the Indian Army's Eastern Command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to a social media post by Eastern Command, the missile hit th...

The Type 12 SSM is pictured (left), being launched from a transporter-erector-launcher vehicle. Images on the right show the system's sensor and control station. (Japanese MoD)  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has deployed an anti-ship missile (ASM) unit known as the ‘7th Surface-to-Ship Missile Regiment' at the JGSDF's Katsuren camp located at Uruma city in Okinawa Prefecture, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in late March.  The new unit is equipped with Type 12 coastal-defence surface-to-ship guided missiles, which ar...

The USN CNO noted the need for the development of directed energy weapons, such as the laser system shown in this artist's rendition. (Lockheed Martin)  Recent US Navy (USN) operations in the Red Sea have underscored the importance of logistics, according to Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the USN chief of naval operations (CNO).  Adm Franchetti also noted the importance of developing new weapons and related capabilities to match emerging threats.  The CNO made the comments during a discussion for Defense One that was shown online on 27 March.  “I'v...

Italian Navy Thaon di Revel-class PPA ITS   Francesco Morosini   seen at Langkawi during its 2023 Asia-Pacific tour.  (Janes/Mansasvi Sharma Shanker)  Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced on 28 March that it has signed a EUR1.18 billion (USD1.27) contract for two multirole offshore patrol ships (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD).  However, Indonesia's ability to fund this commitment is presently unclear given the lack of an allocation for this programme in...

An artist rendering of the proposed US Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter, whose cost estimates are being questioned. (VT Halter Marine/Technology)  The accuracy of the estimated procurement cost of the proposed US Coast Guard (USCG) Polar Security Cutter (PSC), given its size and internal complexity, is a potential issue of concern, according to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS).    “The PSC's estimated procurement cost per weight is roughly half that of the [US] Navy's LPD-17 Flight II and LHA amphibious ships,” the CRS said i...

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen seen here at the handover ceremony of   An Chiang  (625) and   Wan Chiang  (626) on 26 March 2024.   (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)  The Republic of China Navy (RoCN) has received its fifth and sixth Tuo Chiang-class guided-missile corvettes.  Presiding over the vessels' handover ceremony on 26 March at Yilan was Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen who in an official social media post on the same day described the handover event as “an important step forward for Taiwan'...

SEA's Ancilia trainable decoy launcher system has been selected to meet the UK's EWCM Increment 1a requirement. (SEA)  Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to satisfy its requirement for a new trainable decoy launcher to enable soft-kill protection of Royal Navy (RN) Type 45 destroyers, Type 26 frigates, and Type 31 frigates.  On 26 March the MoD announced that SEA (part of the Cohort Group) had been selected to deliver the Electronic Warfare Counter Measures (EWCM) Increment 1a programm...

The US Navy is looking to decommission USS  Jackson  .  (Janes/Michael Fabey)    The US Navy (USN) wants to decommission 19 vessels during fiscal year (FY) 2025, including 10 ships before they have reached planned end of their expected service lives (ESLs), according to the  Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for Fiscal Year 2025  , often called the USN's 30-year shipbuilding plan, sent to US lawmakers on 19 March.   The shipbuilding plan details t...

Myanmar's second Kyan Sit Thar-class frigate, UMS   Sin Phyu Shin  , seen here as it arrives at Visakhapatnam, India, for Exercise ‘Milan' 2024. It can be seen here equipped with the Revathi radar.  (Indian MoD)  Myanmar has equipped its second Kyan Sit Thar-class guided-missile frigate, UMS Sin Phyu Shin, with the Indian-made Revathi 3D air surveillance radar.  Janes can now confirm that the radar was fully incorporated in 2023, and a partial validation of its capabilities was carried out at the ‘Milan' multilate...

The US Navy is looking to decommission USS   Jackson  .  (Michael Fabey)  The US Navy (USN) wants to decommission 19 vessels during fiscal year (FY) 2025, including 10 ships before they have reached planned end of their expected service lives (ESLs), according to the Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for Fiscal Year 2025, often called the USN's 30-year shipbuilding plan, sent to US lawmakers on 19 March.  The shipbuilding plan details the USN's long-term strategy fo...

The Brazilian Navy has organised to better modernise its forces with programmes such as the development of the Riachuelo-class submarines, the lead ship shown here. (Brazilian Navy)  The Navy Directorate-General for Material (Diretoria-Geral do Material da Marinha: DGMM) of the Brazilian Navy has designed a new plan to better organise its role in the modernisation of the service, the DGMM told Janes.  This modernisation, known as the ‘The Navy of Tomorrow', is guided by the Navy Strategic Plan 2040, which establishes strategic programmes to p...

BAE Systems was confirmed as the UK shipbuilding partner for AUKUS submarines, shown here as an artist rendition. (BAE Systems)  Britian's BAE Systems will partner with Australian shipbuilder ASC to build Canberra's nuclear-powered submarines for the trilateral AUKUS defence agreement, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on 21 March.  The partnership deal follows “months of negotiations” and could be worth “billions of pounds”, theMoD said in a release.  First announced in September 2021, AUKUS calls for the three countries – Australia...

Shown here in an artist's rendering, the Polar Security Cutter remains the US Coast Guard's top acquisition priority. (VT Halter Marine/Technology Associates)  Arctic operations remain an important focus for the US Coast Guard (USCG), Admiral Linda Fagan, USCG commandant, noted on 20 March in her State of the USCG address.  The USCG fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request also underscored the service's growing financial commitment to the Arctic, according to budget documents released on 12 March.  “The Arctic is another region important to natio...

Military Sealift Command Bob Hope-class large, medium speed roll-on/roll-off ship USNS   Benavidez  (T-AKR 306) (pictured) is supporting the Pentagon's mission to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza in the coming months.  (US Navy)  A US Navy's large, medium speed roll-on, roll-off ship (LMSR) has been deployed in support of the US Army's joint logistics over-the-shore (JLOTS) operation to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to a navy announcement on 21 March.    Bob Hope-class MV   Roy P Benavidez...