AUKUS Submarine Deal Might Be Near A Collapse

Posted on by

1945 – A retired UK rear admiral and former Ministry of Defence nuclear-policy director warns the SSN-AUKUS effort is at high risk because the Royal Navy’s submarine enterprise is short on experienced people, strained by low readiness, and struggling to sustain operations. Under the AUKUS “optimal pathway,” the UK and Australia are meant to co-develop and build a new SSN-AUKUS class for deliveries starting in the late 2030s, while the U.S. sells Australia used Virginia-class boats in the interim.

(Thanks to Alain)

Ships or Munitions? Clarifying the Discussion on Unmanned Surface Vessels

Posted on by

War on the Rocks – Beijing would be most afraid of losing the advantage it has today from its anti-ship missiles. Blunting that advantage with unmanned systems will require maximizing the benefits they can offer against anti-ship missiles while minimizing the drawbacks. Unmanned surface vessels that resemble munitions rather than ships would be the more effective tool to counter this threat.

The first step to unlocking their potential asymmetric advantage is to make the distinction between the two types of systems. A more precise taxonomy could clarify the functions that each type of unmanned surface vessel is meant to perform and help identify the roles that each should play in the sea denial mission.

Russia may begin first sea trials of Khabarovsk nuclear submarine in 2026 as Poseidon carrier.

Posted on by

Army Recognition – According to Izvestia, Russia’s Project 09851 nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk could begin sea trials in 2026 following completion of outfitting work at the Sevmash shipyard. Designed as a dedicated carrier for the Poseidon nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle, the Khabarovsk was launched in November 2025 and has since entered mooring test preparations.

(Thanks to Alain)

Chinese Buoys Near the South Korea-China PMZ

Posted on by

Asia Martime Transparency Initiative – China’s deployments of buoys in the Yellow Sea add yet another layer to its approach toward managing disputes with South Korea while furthering its own maritime interests. Like many of China’s maritime activities, the buoys accomplish several things simultaneously: they increase China’s monitoring and sensing capabilities in an important maritime area; they assert control over a less sensitive but still disputed portion of overlapping maritime claims; and, importantly in the Yellow Sea context, they test South Korean reactions to inform future deployments. 

Navy’s Top Admiral Wants To Tailor Warship Deployments To Specific Missions

Posted on by

The War Zone – While today’s surface Navy puts major emphasis on carrier strike group and expeditionary strike group deployments, driven by the resource realities and the global threat environment, the current Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) wants to take a far more flexible and tailored approach to sending his vessels on cruise.

The Trump-Class Batttleship: Spectacle Wins Out Over Combat Power

Posted on by

FRPI – Plans have now been unveiled for the USS Defiant, the lead ship of the so-called Trump class of guided-missile battleships. According to the concept materials released so far, this vessel would combine a sprawling arsenal of vertical launch cells, hypersonic missiles, and lasers with a forward-mounted 32-megajoule railgun. In other words, at a moment when American shipyards are struggling to produce sufficient numbers of current surface combatants, the proposed solution is to task them with building 35,000-ton “super combatants” packed with immature or outright nonexistent technologies.

Could such a ship actually work? What risks does it introduce, technologically and industrially? And perhaps most importantly, what would a return to battleships mean for American fleet structure and an already overstretched US shipbuilding sector?

Royal Navy takes step towards hybrid air wing with first flight of Proteus RWUAS

Posted on by

Navy Lookout – The RN has reached a significant milestone in naval aviation with the first flight of the UK’s first autonomous, full-size helicopter. The Proteus Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System (RWUAS) technology demonstrator lifted off from Predannack airfield in Cornwall, another step forward in the integration of uncrewed systems into frontline maritime operations.