What is the state of Royal Navy anti-ballistic missile capability?
On 1st October Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles. The US Navy participated in the destruction of some of the missiles but poor messaging by UK politicians led to considerable confusion about whether the RN had contributed to this defensive mission. Here we look at the the RN’s current and future ballistic missile defence (BMD) […]
Current news
US Navy successfully transfers Mk 41 missile canister at sea
With significant implications for sustaining warships in combat, the US Navy has succeeded in passing a strike-length missile canister from a naval auxiliary to a cruiser at sea.
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter test-fires Sea Venom anti-ship missile for first time
A Wildcat Helicopter has conducted a single successful test-firing of the Sea Venom missile at a barge anchored off the Aberporth Range in Wales.
Steel cut for HMS Formidable – the Royal Navy’s third Type 31 frigate
At a ceremony held at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard today, work began on the third of the five ‘Inspiration’ class ships.
Will Norway buy Type 26 frigates built in Britain?
In 2023, Norway concluded a thorough defence review and is restructuring its armed forces with increasing spending, spurred by the rising threat from their Russian neighbours. As part of this programme, in April 2024 it was announced they are seeking to procure at least 5 new frigates with help from allied nations. Here we consider […]
The development of a lean crewing solution for the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate
Like all navies, the RN is seeking to reduce the number of sailors needed to operate its warships as qualified people are expensive and in short supply. While putting fewer people in harm’s way, a small crew can have limitations. In this article, we look at how the designers of the Type 31 frigate have […]
Should the Royal Navy consider an alternative approach to Multi-Role Support Ship design?
In this guest article, Robert Moyse argues that the RN should take inspiration from the US Marine Corps and consider cheaper, smaller and more numerous vessels to meet the MRSS requirement.
Constellation-class: the US Navy’s struggle to forge a new generation of frigates
After the perceived failure of the Littoral Combat ship programme, the US Navy has shifted its focus back to building traditional frigates. In this piece, we examine the turbulent beginnings of the Constellation-class (FFG-62) project and look at the wider lessons for those involved in warship design and acquisition.
Setbacks in the Royal Navy’s effort to get newly acquired auxiliary ships into service
Early in 2023, the MoD purchased two former commercial vessels for the Naval Service. Despite their procurement ‘at pace’, RFA Proteus has yet to conduct any useful operations and RFA Stirling Castle is being laid up or ‘paused’ temporarily mainly due to a lack of qualified people to operate her.
Atlas Elektronik UK proposes mid-size USVs as naval force multipliers
Uncrewed Surface Vehicles have already proved able to deliver a basic autonomous mine hunting capability for the Royal Navy. Here we look at proposals by AEUK to expand the role of USVs to act as sensor and weapon platforms.
