The War Zone – Saronic, the company that makes the first sea drones ever to be used as kinetic weapons by American forces, announced it will build a big new shipyard in Brownsville, Texas where they plan to construct an array of crewed and uncrewed ships as big as 850 feet. It is a big step for a company whose largest vessel is a 180-foot drone boat called Marauder.
Navy Wants 1,000 Mile Combat Radius For Carrier Based Tactical Drone Fleets
The War Zone – The U.S. Navy is envisioning a future force of carrier-based uncrewed aircraft capable of attacking enemy forces at least 1,000 nautical miles away from the ship. They would also have to be able to do this without needing to refuel in mid-air, though tankers could further extend their reach. This, along with other details, offers the first real sense of the combat drone capabilities the Navy wants to add to its future carrier air wings.
China Is Building A Monster Supply Ship For Its Carrier Groups
The War Zone – What looks to be the largest at-sea replenishment ship anywhere in the world is taking shape at a Chinese shipyard.
US Navy 2 years behind on hypersonic missile installation on Zumwalt destroyers
Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s expensive effort to install hypersonic missiles on three Zumwalt-class destroyers is two years behind schedule, according to government auditors.
A naval failure in the Strait of Hormuz
Breaking Defense – Why can’t the world’s most powerful military secure the Strait against a country that has no navy?
Why navies still matter in the age of drones
The Strategist – At sea, drones are disruptive, but they are not decisive. They complicate the maritime fight, but they do not replace the enduring strategic logic of sea power.
Sea Breeze 2026: the Royal Navy hosts Ukraine and allies to build mine warfare expertise
Navy Lookout – Exercise Sea Breeze, the annual US-Ukraine-led maritime exercise, has returned to Portland for its 2026 mine countermeasures phase. This is the largest UK-hosted iteration to date and is building Ukrainian capability while sharpening the mine warfare skills of allied navies at a time when the discipline has regained wider strategic urgency.
MoD acquires Finnart Oil Terminal to strengthen Royal Navy fuel resilience
Navy Lookout – The MoD has completed the acquisition of the strategically important Finnart Oil Terminal on Scotland’s west coast, expanding the RN’s sovereign fuel storage capacity as part of wider investment in infrastructure, one of the real positives of the Defence Investment Plan published at the end of June.
Operation Firecrest: HMS Prince of Wales Demonstrates Royal Navy’s ‘Hybrid’ Shift
Naval News – The current deployment of the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) HMS Prince of Wales carrier strike group (CSG) across the North Atlantic and into the High North is building deterrence against regional threats – but is also demonstrating the navy’s quickening transition towards a ‘hybrid’ crewed/uncrewed operational force structure.
Typhoon USV Completes First-Ever At-Sea Resupply with USS Essex
US Navy – As part of the ongoing Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 naval exercises, a Splash Industries Typhoon Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) successfully landed in the well deck of the Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Dock USS Essex (LHD-2), marking the first instance of a USV performing an underway replenishment for a larger, crewed vessel.
Satellite imagery indicates air-defence systems redeployed from Severodvinsk
Barents Observer – Russia has quietly stripped much of the long-range air defence protecting its most important nuclear submarine shipyards.
Russia moves to shield warships from Ukrainian drone strikes
Defence Blog – Russia has begun arming its large surface warships with new electronic warfare systems in an apparent attempt to counter Ukrainian drone attacks.
(Thanks to Alain)
China Maritime Report #56: The Silent Service: Assessing PLAN Influence in the Central Military Commission
China Maritime Studies Institute – Despite its impressive expansion, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is more of a “decision-taker” than a “decision-maker,” with its growth driven by top-down political directives from leaders like Xi Jinping rather than by its own institutional influence. The PLAN’s bureaucratic influence within the high command remains modest, with minimal representation on the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) or in its subordinate departments. The PLA Army (PLAA) continues to dominate top leadership and management roles, limiting the navy’s ability to compete for resources and influence key decisions despite a strategic shift toward the maritime domain.
Ukraine sinks Russian patrol ship near Novorossiysk
Defence Blog – Ukraine’s navy sank a Russian border guard ship near Novorossiysk using an unmanned strike boat. The Ukrainian Navy said its sailors sank the Rubin-class patrol ship Izumrud (354), a Russian Federal Security Service border guard vessel, using the Sargan-3000, a domestically built unmanned surface strike platform that has entered service with Ukraine’s naval forces over the past year.
(Thanks to Alain)
History in the Making: Ukraine Conducts First Fully Unmanned Amphibious Raid at Kinburn Split
Naval News – The Ukrainian armed forces have reportedly conducted a groundbreaking amphibious raid against Russian-held positions at the Kinburn Split. Executed entirely by unmanned vehicles operating across the sea, land, and air domains, the operation marks the first completely automated amphibious assault in military history conducted under wartime conditions.
Romania Destroys Five Naval Drones in Black Sea
Kyiv Post – Romanian Defense Minister Radu Mîruță announced on Friday, July 10, that authorities have intercepted and destroyed five naval drones in the Black Sea, some of which were armed with explosives. Four of the drones were discovered prior to a June 5 incident where a stray Ukrainian drone exploded in the port of Constanța, with a fifth found subsequently. Mîruță also clarified that the military is not primarily responsible for port security during peacetime, explaining the lack of a separate army report on the Constanța explosion.
(Thanks to Alain)
Here Are The U.S. Navy Warships Available To Support The Blockade Of Iran
The War Zone – More than 20 U.S. Navy warships, including two carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group, are underway in the Middle East.
U.S. Navy buys drone boats modeled on drug smuggler design
Defence Blog – The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command awarded ReconCraft LLC, a boatbuilder based in Anchorage, Alaska, a $24.96 million contract for autonomous low-profile vessels, a category of uncrewed watercraft the military has openly borrowed from the same low-visibility, semi-submersible design smugglers pioneered to avoid radar and visual detection while running narcotics through open water.
(Thanks to Alain)
Specialized U.S. Marine Corps Group Trains to Defend the Northern Philippines
USNI News – A specialized contingent of Marines have operated in the Northern Philippines over the last three months, honing their ability to monitor maritime movements and lock down strategic waters with anti-ship missiles.
USMC Eyes General Atomics’ Bullseye Cruise Missile to Counter China
Naval News – American lawmakers want to fund a U.S. Marine Corps test of General Atomics’ Bullseye cruise missile in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.
The Defence Investment Plan: setting up for failure?
Navy Lookout – The long-delayed Defence Investment Plan finally landed on 30th June, promising £298 billion of defence spending over four years and a transformed Royal Navy. Here we look at the financial profile of the DIP in more detail and consider the implications of both the obvious and the more subtle flaws.
U.S. Reinstates Naval Blockade in Strait of Hormuz
USNI News – The U.S. will resume its blockade of Iranian ports, coasts and ships, according to a Monday announcement from U.S. Central Command, signaling an end to the 60-day ceasefire between Iran and Washington.
3 Lethal U.S. Drones Attack Iranian Sub, Port Facility
USNI News – Three Saronic Corsair unmanned surface craft were used in a Sunday attack on an Iranian port, U.S. Central Command announced on social media.
Ukraine Lands Armed Robot Ashore In Russian-Held Territory Via Drone Boat
The War Zone – Described as a first of its kind, the mission could be a glimpse of what’s to come for amphibious operations.
US Navy Seeks ‘Seabed Superiority’ in Undersea Warfare Push
Naval News – The US Navy (USN) is seeking “seabed superiority” in both offensive and defensive operations around the ocean floor as part of enhancing asymmetric advantage in underwater warfare, the USN’s Commander, Submarine Force (COMSUBFOR) told the annual Combined Naval Event 2026 (CNE26) conference.
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