
Photo essay: Royal Navy escorts Russian naval group close to the UK
In this photo and video essay we cover the RN’s recent operation shadowing a group of Russian ships through the English Channel.
Current news

RFA Tideforce shadows Russian naval vessels in the English Channel
Another Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker has joined Royal Navy vessels monitoring Russian warships and merchant ships transiting close to the UK.

HMS Audacious finally dry-docked in Devonport after 22-month delay
Royal Navy Astute-class submarine, HMS Audacious was taken into number 15 dry dock in Devonport today. She arrived in Plymouth on 1st April 2023 for a refit that necessitates work on her hull, which could not begin until facilities had been upgraded.

Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll could be sold to Chile instead of becoming a training ship
The decommissioned frigate HMS Argyll will not go to the Clyde to be used as a training platform for apprentices as previously announced and may be sold overseas.

In focus: the Netherlands’ Multifunction Support Ship concept
The Royal Netherlands Navy (Koninklijke Marine) plans to build Multifunction Support Ships (MSS) to bolster the presence and firepower of its conventional surface fleet. Here we look at this innovative solution and its potential implications for other navies.

What will be the real consequences of axing the Royal Navy’s LPDs?
On 20th November 2024, the Defence Secretary announced that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark would be decommissioned. Here we look at the context, justifications and potential consequences of this decision.

First Type 31 frigate HMS Venturer due to be launched this Spring
The Type 31 programme will reach a major milestone later this year with the rollout of HMS Venturer from the construction hall ahead of being lowered into the water. Here we summarise recent progress and near term plans.

Royal Navy submarine diplomacy: sending a warning to Russia
In this article, we consider in more detail the implications following the revelation that an RN submarine deliberately surfaced close to the Russian spy ship Yantar in November 2024.

The Royal Navy – convening force to protect UK maritime infrastructure
The 2025 SDR is likely to give much-increased weight to UK mainland defence. The RN has a critical part to play in this defence, in some ways a return to its historical roots but also adapting to new threats and meeting the exponential growth in seabed warfare challenges.

Shadow fleet showdown: NATO responds to grey zone threats in the Baltic
In this article, we consider the growing challenges for NATO in countering a series of attacks on pipelines and cables in the Baltic Sea and the dangers posed by merchant ships of the Russian ‘shadow fleet’.