Exercises like ‘Cold Response' in Norway help NATO countries prepare for Arctic operations. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  NATO will benefit from Finland's Arctic naval experience, naval experts said on 3 April during the annual Navy League Sea-Air-Space conference 2023 held in National Harbor, Maryland.  The new NATO member will be particularly helpful as naval mining and countermine operations become a greater consideration, James Foggo, a retired US Navy (USN) admiral who is now the dean of the Navy League's Center for Maritime Strategy, said duri...

Chief Executive of DSTA, Mervyn Tan. (DSTA)    With a total land area    of 730 km  2  , Singapore is the smallest country in South East Asia. However, its military might betray its size as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)...

The Republic of Singapore Navy's MARSEC USVs, seen here arriving at RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base. (Republic of Singapore Navy)  The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has opted to homeport its maritime security (MARSEC) unmanned surface vessels (USVs) at Changi Naval Base at the eastern end of the island.  The 16 m vessels, which the RSN refers to as MARSEC USVs, have also been inducted into a new formation known as the USV squadron, the service announced on 13 April.  The USVs were officially inducted in a homecoming ceremony, which was d...

A televised footage of a North Korean Hwaseong-18 missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on 13 April 2023. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images)  North Korea has test-fired a new solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) known as Hwaseong-18, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.  According to KCNA, the missile was test-fired on 13 April to ”confirm the performance of the high-thrust solid-fuel engines for multistage missiles”.  KCNA added that the test demonstrated the reliability of the stage-jettisoning tec...

The USN is working on plans to increase missile capabilities of the new Constellation-class guided-missile frigates. (US Navy)  The US Navy (USN) plans to start construction soon on the second Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, Congress (FFG 63), and has plans to award a contract for the fourth ship of the class later in 2023, according to Captain Kevin Smith, USN Constellation programme manager.  The USN is also working with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to develop a plan for outfitting th...

Screenshot from a Baykar video showing the Turkish LHD   Anadolu  with its intended Bayraktar TB3 and Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned aircraft wing.  (Baykar)    Turkey has showcased the mainly unmanned air wing that will operate from its newly inducted TCG   Anadolu  (L 400), displaying the two unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) types it intends to fly from the ‘aircraft carrier'.   The commissioning ceremony for the landing helicopter dock (LHD) held on 10 April at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, I...

The French Navy's first new Félix Éboué-class offshore patrol vessel,   Auguste Bénébig  (P 779), has arrived at its new home port in New Caledonia.  (French Navy)  The first of the French Navy's six new Félix Éboué-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), also known as the Patrouilleur d'Outre-Mer (POM), has arrived at its new home port at Chaleix naval base in Nouméa, New Caledonia.  First-of-class Auguste Bénébig (P 779) departed Brest, in western France, on 17 January and spent almost three months in transit bef...

The upgraded Type 12 SSM will have a range of 1,000 km. The original version, pictured above, has a range of 200 km. While the original Type 12 SSM was designed as a land-based anti-ship missile, the upgraded variant can be launched from land, aircraft, and surface combatants. (Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force)  Japan's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has signed a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to develop and mass-produce upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles (SSMs).  The MoD also signed the contracts to mass-produce hyperson...

A steel-cutting ceremony for the Turkish Navy's three follow-on Istanbul-class frigates was staged at Sedef Shipyard on 11 April. The ships will be built concurrently at Sefine, Anadolu, and Sedef shipyards and delivered to the Turkish Navy within 36 months. (STM)  A steel-cutting ceremony for the Turkish Navy's three follow-on Istanbul (TF-100)-class frigates was staged at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, on 11 April.  The three ships, which will be the second, third, and fourth ships of the Istanbul class, will be built concurrently at Se...

Turkish Navy LPD/LHD TCG   Anadolu  (L 400).  (Cem Devrim Yaylali)  The Turkish Navy's new landing helicopter dock (LHD) TCG Anadolu (L 400) was formally commissioned into service during a ceremony held at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, on 10 April.  Anadolu was built by Sedef Shipyard in partnership with Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia under a contract signed in 2015. The ship is based on Navantia's Juan Carlos I-class landing platform dock (LPD) design.  The LHDwas laid down in February 2018, launc...

South Korea's first Ulsan-class Batch III frigate, seen here at its launch ceremony on 10 April 2023. (Ministry of National Defense, South Korea)  South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has launched the country's first Ulsan-class Batch III frigate.  The vessel, which has been named ROKS Chungnam, was launched on 10 April at HHI's facilities in Ulsan, the country's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on the same day.  “[Chungnam] will be active in the defence of our waters given its enhanced anti-aircraft and anti-su...

A Taiwanese Mirage 2000 fighter jet lands at an air force base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on 9 April 2023 as China was conducting a second day of military drills near the country. (Jameson Wu/AFP via Getty Images)  The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed several aircraft and vessels either near or across the median line in the Taiwan Strait in the wake of a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.  The deployments are part of military drills and “combat readiness patrols” known as Ex...

Japan's new OSA scheme will provide funding for allied countries to procure defence equipment such as radars, transport aircraft, and surveillance ships. Pictured above is Japan's third Hibiki-class ocean surveillance ship on its commissioning in March 2021. (Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force)  Japan has said it will launch a new credit facility to support defence exports. The Official Security Assistance (OSA) scheme – the first of its kind in Japan – will be aligned with the country's national security interests, the Ministry of Foreign...

Newport News Shipbuilding 3D printed critical parts for aircraft carrier USS   Gerald R Ford  .  (Janes/Michael Fabey)    HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has started to use additive manufacturing and 3D-printed parts to support its aircraft carrier programmes and sees the potential for such work aboard operational carriers, according to Brian Fields, vice-president of   Enterprise  (CVN 80) and   Doris Miller  (CVN 81) programmes.     NNS has already used 3D-print...

Aircraft carrier USS   Gerald R Ford  is scheduled to deploy in May 2023.  (Michael Fabey)    The US Navy (USN) plans to next deploy aircraft carrier USS   Gerald R Ford  (CVN 78) in May as the service continues to work out issues with the Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs) on the second Ford-class ship, USS   John F Kennedy  (CVN 79), according to Captain Brian Metcalf, Ford-class carrier programme manager.     Speaking about   Ford  on 4 April during a briefing at t...

A screen capture of video imagery posted on Twitter by SSB on 28 March showing the   Marlin  armed USV firing a Kuzgun-KY solid fuel SSM for the first time.  (SSB)  The Marlin armed unmanned surface vessel (USV) jointly developed by Turkey's Aselsan and Selfine Shipyard successfully fired a Kuzgun-KY solid fuel surface-to-surface missile (SSM) for the first time, İsmail Demir, head of the Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries (Savunma Sanayii Başkanlığı: SSB), announced.  During the firing test, which was cond...

The first of four new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes is set to start construction later this year. (RMC)  The Finnish Navy has confirmed plans to start the build phase of its first new Pohjanmaa-class corvette during the third quarter of 2023 following delays to the programme.  Under its Squadron 2020 programme, the Finnish Navy is procuring four Pohjanmaa-class corvettes from Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) under a EUR647.6 million (USD707.4 million) design and construction contract awarded in 2019, with the build to be carried out by RMC's subs...

The RNLN plans to procure surface- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles. (Raytheon Aircraft Company)  The Netherlands has revealed plans to procure the Tomahawk land attack cruise missile from the US government, with deployment planned from both frigates and submarines.  Forming part of a broader investment in air and maritime strike capabilities, the planned procurement will make the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) only the second naval service in Europe to introduce the Tomahawk into service. A proof of concept firing from a De Zeven Prov...

The US Navy awarded a contract for Columbia-class propulsion components. (US Navy)  The US Navy (USN) awarded Leonardo DRS contracts worth about USD1 billion, when fully funded, to provide the integrated electric propulsion components for Columbia-class strategic submarines, the company confirmed on 4 April during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2023 Global Maritime Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, which started on 3 April.  The integrated electric propulsion components will be manufactured in the company's Fitchburg, Massachusetts; Men...

The Republic of Singapore Navy's combatant craft large, seen here in the Singapore Strait. (Singapore Ministry of Defence)  A new type of combatant craft that was first unveiled by Singapore in 2021 is now fully operational, the country's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) told Janes.  The vessel, which has been dubbed the combatant craft large (CCL), is in service with the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) special forces formation known as the Naval Diving Unit (NDU).  The NDU is responsible for operations such as underwater explosive ordnance di...