The Royal Navy has received XV Excalibur, the UK’s first extra-large uncrewed submarine, following a series of long-range control demonstrations and a world-first quantum navigation trial. The 12-metre, 19-tonne vessel will undergo two years of sea testing as the UK expands autonomous undersea capabilities under Project Cetus and wider defence initiatives.
The UK has launched Atlantic Bastion, a hybrid undersea warfare programme integrating autonomous systems, AI and traditional naval assets to protect critical infrastructure amid rising Russian submarine activity.
The UK and Norway have agreed to operate a combined fleet of Type 26 frigates and deepen defence cooperation to counter rising Russian submarine activity and protect critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic.
The UK has awarded MBDA a £316 million contract to advance the DragonFire laser weapon system and install it on a Type 45 destroyer by 2027, following trials in Scotland that involved shooting down high-speed drones.
The British Royal Navy’s sixth Astute Class submarine, HMS Agamemnon, has completed her first dive at BAE Systems’ Barrow shipyard, marking a key stage in trials before entering operational service. The test verified weight, stability, and onboard systems performance.
The British Royal Navy Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter aircraft took off from Thiruvananthapuram airport for Darwin, Australia, to presumably join the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, after a forced, 37-day monsoon vacation in Kerala.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce on Monday ‘the UK’s conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet will be significantly expanded, with up to 12 new SSN-AUKUS boats to be built,’ as his government publishes a long-awaited Strategic Defence Review (SDR).
Former naval aviator Captain K.P. Sanjeev Kumar examines the San Juan tragedy, pointing out that after half a century of operating submarines, India still does not have organic submarine rescue capability and asks why navies such as ours invest in submarines without closing the loop on submarine rescue.
India has ordered a total of 123 aircraft, with the navy order for 17 aircraft being part of the contract for 57 aircraft concluded in 2010. 40 of the aircraft will be delivered to the IAF.
“It (Suez Canal) is a really significant issue. We as military men and anybody worth their salt should be talking about it. It is a serious issue. I can see doomsday scenarios,” Admiral Stanhope, who is on a five-day visit to India, told a group of Indian journalists here.
Gripen has made presentations of its Sea Gripen fighter aircraft to the Indian Navy last week.
Four ships of the Indian Navy that had been deployed for exercises in European waters since May, have returned home. This was the first time the joint Indo-British naval exercise Konkan and the joint Indo-French naval exercise Varuna have been conducted outside Indian waters. Images inside.
A squadron of four ships is on an extensive tour of ports in the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The ships will also conduct major exercises with Russia, the UK and France.
