MBDA announced that the SPEAR air-to-surface missile completed its first flight aboard a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B test aircraft earlier this year. The flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River marked another stage in the integration programme for the weapon onto the UK’s F-35B fleet, with additional testing activities planned.
The United Kingdom will contribute autonomous mine-hunting systems, Typhoon fighter jets and HMS Dragon to a planned multinational mission aimed at securing commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The deployment package includes £115 million in new defence funding.
The United Kingdom and France will host a multinational meeting on Tuesday involving more than 40 nations to discuss a defensive mission aimed at securing the Strait of Hormuz. HMS Dragon will deploy to the Middle East to support possible future operations.
The UK has disclosed details of a Russian submarine operation near critical undersea infrastructure, with British and allied forces tracking vessels in the High North and surrounding waters amid increased Russian naval activity.
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.
