Maritime Defense News

India signed a $3 billion deal on Monday to buy liquefied natural gas from the United Arab Emirates, making it the UAE's top customer, as the leaders of both countries held talks to strengthen trade and defence ties.The agreement was signed during a very brief two-hour visit to India by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They pledged to double bilateral trade to $200 billion in six years and form a strategic defence…

The chairman of Italy's Leonardo on Monday floated the idea of a future combination between the defence and aerospace group and state‑controlled shipbuilder Fincantieri.Speaking at a conference at Milan's Bocconi University, Stefano Pontecorvo told an audience that he hoped the two groups could one day merge, addressing his remark to Claudio Cisilino, Fincantieri’s executive vice‑president for operations, who was sitting in the audience.“I hope that one day a merger between us might be possible," said Pontecorvo, without elaborating.Fincantieri and Leonardo, both controlled by the Italian stat

The U.S. Coast Guard has unveiled a rapid-response approach that identifies, prototypes and delivers breakthrough technologies to meet urgent operational needs and drives accelerated transition to programs. The Office of Rapid Response and Prototyping (CG-RAPTOR) is accelerating the “idea-to-operations” cycle, rolling our solutions within 30, 60, and 90 days through collaboration with operators, industry leaders and subject matter experts.The standup of CG-RAPTOR comes amid Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s push to change how the Coast Guard operates.

James Fisher Defence (JFD Global), a global provider of specialist marine and defense solutions enabling mission success at sea, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ST Engineering Marine to explore new opportunities for collaboration in Singapore and beyond. The extension of joint capabilities internationally will provide support to the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and other navies, to ensure operational readiness in safety critical situations.The agreement builds on a long-standing and successful partnership between the two companies that spans more than 15 years.

This week, the Blue Water team reached a milestone in their journey: surpassing 1000 hours of ocean-based testing of their proprietary propulsion system designed for autonomous surface vessels. Achieving this milestone surpasses the Navy’s original 720-hour land-based test requirement while also including the addition of fuel polishing, electric power generation, and a full sensor suite.Meeting the Navy's VisionAs the Navy expands its fleet of uncrewed ships to execute transoceanic missions, vessels will need to remain at sea unmanned for months at a time.

Sweden will spend 4 billion crowns ($437 million) on unmanned drone systems to be delivered over the next two years, the country's Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Monday.The NATO member will buy unmanned systems including long-range attack drones, electronic warfare systems and surveillance drones as well as marine surveillance and minesweeping drones."No one knows what the next war will look like but one thing is clear, the future battle field will be characterised by unmanned systems and long-range capacity…

German warship maker TKMS has submitted a non-binding bid for smaller peer German Naval Yards (GNYK), the company told Reuters on Thursday."Discussions between our two companies will continue with an open outcome," TKMS said in an emailed statement, without disclosing any details around the offer.TKMS, which was spun off from parent Thyssenkrupp in October, last month said it expected to decide soon on whether to buy GNYK, reflecting its ambition to expand in light of growing demand for defence equipment.GNYK is part of the family-owned CMN Naval group - a French shipbuilder active in naval an

Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitored Chinese naval manoeuvres, the coast guard said.The exercises named "Justice Mission 2025" saw China fire dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deploy a large number of warships and aircraft near the island, in a show of force that drew concern from allies in the region and the west.Beijing announced late on Wednesday the completion of the drills…

China fired rockets into waters off Taiwan on Tuesday, showcased new assault ships and dismissed prospects of U.S. and allied intervention to block any future attack by Beijing to take control of the island in its most extensive war games to date.As part of drills rehearsing a blockade, China's Eastern Theatre Command conducted 10 hours of live-fire exercises, launching rockets into waters to the north and south of the democratically governed island.Chinese naval and air force units also simulated strikes on maritime and aerial targets and carried out anti-submarine drills around the island…

Greece, Israel and Cyprus will step up joint air and naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean in 2026, deepening their defence cooperation, Greek military officials and a senior source said on Monday.The three eastern Mediterranean nations have drawn closer over the past decade through joint military drills, defence procurement and energy cooperation, developments closely watched by regional rival Turkey.Greece’s armed forces general staff (GEETHA) said senior military officials from the three countries signed a joint action plan for defence cooperation last week in Cyprus.

KERSHIP welcomed Mr. Aleksa Bečić, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, and Mr. Dragan Krapovic, Minister of Defense of Montenegro on Wednesday, December 17, at its Lanester site. This second visit marks a significant step forward since the construction launch ceremony of the first offshore patrol vessel. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense were accompanied by members of their cabinet, senior officers from the Montenegrin Army and Navy Ms. Dubravka Lalovic, Ambassador of Montenegro to France, as well as local authorities.

British defence, marine and industrial firm Inocea Group is in talks to buy warship builder German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK), a person familiar with the matter said, highlighting growing demand for defence assets fuelled by geopolitical tensions.The interest suggests bidding competition for GNYK, given the CEO of Germany's TKMS said last week the world's largest maker of non-nuclear submarines was considering a bid for the company headquartered in the same port city of Kiel.Defence companies and investors across Europe are moving to expand industrial capacity…

HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has reached a significant construction milestone for Virginia-class submarine Oklahoma (SSN 802).Oklahoma is now “pressure hull complete,” which signifies all of the hull sections have joined to form a single, watertight unit.It is the 29th Virginia-class fast attack submarine, the first of Block V and the 14th to be delivered by NNS.The ship’s sponsor is Mary “Molly” Slavonic, an Oklahoma native. Slavonic has long supported both the state of Oklahoma and the Navy.

Italy's government has asked parliament to approve a 2.4-billion-euro ($2.82 billion) investment over 15 years for the maintenance and modernisation of its frigate fleet, a parliamentary document seen by Reuters showed.The plan comes as Italy moves to gradually increase its defence spending to comply with higher NATO targets, after the alliance members agreed to a U.S. demand to boost their annual defence budgets to 5% of gross domestic product.The programme, to 2039, is aimed…

HII executives toured Breaux Brothers Enterprises in Loreauville, Louisiana, and announced that construction of a prototype of ROMULUS, the company’s new unmanned surface vessel (USV) family, has reached 30% completion. The vessel remains on schedule for sea trials in the fourth quarter of 2026.During the visit, HII leaders toured the shipyard with build partners Breaux Brothers and Incat Crowther, and reviewed progress on hull construction, integration of the HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System (ACS)…

GE Aerospace's Marine Engines & Systems has received orders to supply eight LM2500 marine gas turbine engines for the U.S. Navy's next two Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers: the future USS Intrepid (DDG 145) and USS Robert Kerrey (DDG 146). Each destroyer is powered by four LM2500 engines, providing the proven propulsion power that has made the Arleigh Burke class the backbone of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet for over three decades.As of January 2025, 74 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are active with GE Aerospace’s LM2500 engines being the prime mover for propulsion.

Damen Shipyards Group has announced the selection of its Landing Ship Transport (LST) 100 design by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). According to the navy, up to 35 LST100 vessels will be constructed at shipyards in the United States for the Medium Landing Ship programme (LSM). This US Navy initiative aims to enhance capability to transport and land Marine Corps units in contested environments.Proven standard platformNAVSEA released the RFI (Request for Information) to the industry at the beginning of 2025.

HII and Babcock International Group announced they have signed a contract that expands their strategic partnership to further support Virginia-class submarine construction throughput at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. Additionally, the contract will build resiliency within HII’s submarine supply base.This is the first Virginia-class outsourced contract to Babcock in support of NNS-specific submarine work, authorizing Babcock to build complex submarine assemblies…

Poland said on Wednesday it had chosen Sweden's Saab to supply it with three submarines, in a multi-billion-dollar deal that forms a key element of Warsaw's efforts to bolster its defences in the Baltic Sea.Warsaw has been ramping up investments in the armed forces to counter what it sees as a growing threat from Russia after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.The deal with Sweden under the "Orka" programme to boost Poland's military exemplifies Warsaw's efforts to build a Baltic alliance…

German warship builder TKMS expects to decide in the next few weeks on whether to buy neighbouring shipyard German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK), its CEO Oliver Burkhard said on Monday, as the group considers expansion to meet rising demand.TKMS, which was spun off from parent Thyssenkrupp in October, already bought insolvent shipbuilder MV Werften in 2022, and a purchase of GNYK would further increase its capacity at a time when governments boost defence spending.Talks with GNYK, which is owned by France-based shipping group CMN Naval…

In October, a German navy ship completed sensor accuracy testing at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) for the first time, marking a milestone for both Germany and NATO’s long-running Fleet Operational Readiness Accuracy Check Sites (FORACS) program.The combat oiler Federal German Ship (FGS) Berlin (A 1411) arrived in the U.S. as part of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary celebrations, but the visit also…

Skana Robotics, a defense tech startup, is unveiling its latest autonomous vessel, the Alligator, the first amphibious vessel that combines infrastructure-free deployment, manned or unmanned operation, and the ability to carry and launch other autonomous systems. The Alligator joins Skana’s fleet of maritime autonomous vessels, which have already progressed from the prototype stage to deployable and adaptable naval assets designed for mass production: the Bullshark (autonomous surface vessel, ASV) and Stingray (Autonomous underwater vessel, AUV).

Sweden will choose a supplier for its multi-billion Swedish crown acquisition of four new frigates early next year, the defence minister said on Monday.Sweden is in an intense buildup of its forces in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is looking to increase its navy fleet with bigger ships."I think and I hope that we can make a decision by early next year in regards to our new frigates program," Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson told a news conference with the French…