Naval News – Rear Admiral Hakan Uçar, Commander of the Turkish Navy’s Naval Technical Command (formerly head of the Design Project Office), gave a detailed presentation on Türkiye’s indigenous aircraft carrier project known as MUGEM at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2026, held in Farnborough, UK, from 19 to 21 May. The presentation revealed updated specifications, new design details, and confirmed that the construction is already underway with a 2032 delivery target.
The Philippines meets its NMESIS in Balikatan exercise
Naval News – Two new pieces of equipment have recently joined the ranks of the US Marine Corps (USMC): the NMESIS – short for Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System – and the MADIS (which stands for Marine Air Defense Integrated System). Both items were put through their paces in the Philippines in the multinational Exercise Balikatan held from 20 April to 8 May 2026.
Building RFA Resurgent: inside the Royal Navy’s Fleet Solid Support ship programme
Navy Lookout – Fleet Solid Support ship construction is now advancing across three nations, with the first steel cut on RFA Resurgent in Cadiz, steelwork erection underway at Appledore and shipbuilding capacity being regenerated at Harland & Wolff, Belfast. At CNE 2026, we spoke to Navantia UK about the programme and the company’s ambitions beyond FSS.
Legislators Demand Navy Prove Trump Class Battleships Won’t Sink U.S. Nuclear Shipbuilding
The War Zone – Concerns are building the Trump class battleship will exacerbate delays in critical aircraft carrier and submarine construction.
Japan considers AEW radar pod for MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones
Naval News – On May 18, 2026, the Yomiuri Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading national newspapers, reported that the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are considering equipping unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with airborne early warning (AEW) radar systems.
NATO Collective Legal Interpretations: Strengthening Alliance Deterrence and Protecting Baltic Undersea Assets Against Grey-Zone Threats
Center for Maritime Security – Although UNCLOS was not adequately fabricated for irregular activities, NATO’s ability to ultimately address hybrid threat vectors solely relies on its political willingness. If adversaries suspect fissures within the alliance’s force structure, hybrid activities will escalate with grievous repercussions. Although NATO, particularly European member states, operates within a rules-based international order, allied governments must remain cognizant that adversarial states, most notably Russia, are increasingly willing to employ coercive and asymmetric maritime measures for strategic and geopolitical gain, despite being signatories to UNCLOS. Simultaneously, the United States must recognize that maintaining maritime order and alliance credibility requires operating in tandem with its European counterparts as a cohesive and perceivable hegemonic bloc, as the durability of U.S. strategic influence and the preservation of the state system’s rules-based order remain inherently connected to allied interoperability and joint deterrence.
No safe harbour: Ukrainian drones strike Russian warship in the Baltic for the first time
Navy Lookout – This week, Ukrainian one-way attack drones struck the Russian corvette RFS Boiky in Kronstadt naval base, more than 1,100 km from the Ukrainian border. The attack signals another extension of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign and carries implications well beyond the conflict itself.
U.S. Forces Interdict Ship Connected to Iran in Indian Ocean, Iranian Oil Exports See Decrease
USNI News – U.S. Indo-Pacific Command forces interdicted and boarded a stateless vessel in the Indian Ocean late Thursday as part of the expanded U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
HMS Dragon joins French carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea
Navy Lookout – Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon has joined the French Navy carrier strike group centred on the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle in the Arabian Sea, marking the latest phase of the Type 45 destroyer’s deployment east of Suez.
Ukrainian drones strike Russian corvette RFS Boiky near Saint Petersburg
Naval News – Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) struck the Russian Steregushchy-class corvette RFS Boiky on the morning of June 3rd.
French Navy Seizes Sanctioned Russian Tanker, 4th Since September
USNI News – The French Navy seized sanctioned tanker MT Tagor on Sunday while it operated in the Atlantic, marking the service’s fourth shadow fleet seizure since September.
China Maritime Report #54: Chairman Xi’s Navy
China Maritime Studies Institute – Xi Jinping has played a critical role in the Chinese Navy’s rapid transformation into a large, technologically advanced sea service capable of conducting an expanding catalog of maritime operations, from the littorals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the Atlantic Ocean.
Speartooth Makes European Debut with German Sale
C2 Robotics – C2 Robotics, and its European partner Eurobotics GmbH, has marked a significant milestone with the Speartooth Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (LUUV) being sold to Germany.
(Thanks to Alain)
Royal New Zealand Navy outlines fleet renewal priorities
Naval News – The Royal New Zealand Navy is progressing a long-term fleet renewal programme that will reshape the service’s force structure, training model, infrastructure, and sustainment architecture over the next two decades.
Turkey to buy 100 one-way explosive naval drones for swarm attacks
Defense News – Turkey is moving to buy 100 expendable unmanned surface vessels for its navy, Defense News learned during the SAHA Expo 2026 defense exhibition this month.
(Thanks to Alain)
New Mystery Submarine Signals China’s Rapid Undersea Expansion
Naval News – China is launching submarines at a pace unmatched by any other nation. Its latest design, a distinctive and innovative vessel that dispenses with the traditional sail, marks another step in the evolution of an increasingly capable and technologically advanced submarine force. With little official information available, understanding the purpose and capabilities of this new class depends largely on intelligence gathering and expert analysis.
Royal Navy tests killer drone-helicopter team in Norway
UK Defence Journal – Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters operating alongside drones from 700X Squadron conducted three weeks of intensive exercises in the fjords around Bergen during Exercise Tamber Shield, testing tactics against fast attack boats, simulated missile threats, and aerial targets.
(Thanks to Alain)
U.S. Will Sell 3 In-service Virginia Subs to Australia Instead of 1 New, 2 In-service
USNI News – The U.S. will sell Australia three in-service Virginia-class submarines, pivoting from the planned acquisition of one new and two in-service Virginias, the countries announced Saturday.
South Korea goes full steam ahead on nuclear-powered submarines
Defense News – For the first time, South Korea has officially declared a national strategic roadmap to adopt nuclear-powered attack submarines, known as SSNs naval jargon.
Royal Navy deploys advanced ROV for Gulf minehunting operations
Navy Lookout – RN Diving Threat and Exploitation Group (DTXG) personnel have completed intensive training on the VideoRay Defender-Viper, a remotely operated vehicle already used in combat by Ukrainian forces. The system is now loaded aboard RFA Lyme Bay, which sailed from Gibraltar last week for a potential multinational mine countermeasures mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
Countering Russian Naval Activity Off Europe With Ship-Killing Surface Drones
Covert Shores – Free world nations in Western Europe should rapidly deploy a small but dispersed force of ship-killing uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to monitor Russian naval activity off Western Europe.
U.S. Coast Guard Patrols Near Scarborough Shoal with Philippine Forces Amid Concerns of Potential Chinese Build-Up
USNI News – A U.S.-Philippine patrol near Scarborough Shoal this week amid Manila’s concerns of potential structures placed by Beijing at the South China Sea hotspot.
Deterring Russia Beneath the Waves: Securing NATO’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure
War on the Rocks – What would happen if you woke up one morning and the internet was gone — not from a software glitch, but because someone had simply cut the wire? Threats to critical undersea infrastructure are rapidly escalating.
AUKUS Partners Announce Changes To Submarine Agreement, Launch Joint Development For Underwater Drone Payloads
Naval News – The three AUKUS partners Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have published a new statement on the side of the Shangi La-Dialogue in Singapore. The declaration notably changes the acquisition of Virginia-class nuclear powered submarines by Australia under the AUKUS Pillar I “Optimal Pathway”. Also part of this agreement is the intention to collaborate on developing payloads for uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) under AUKUS Pillar II.
Wiped out Tu-142MR could be a significant blow to the Northern Fleet
Barents Observer – Ukrainian drones have destroyed two Russian Navy long-range aircraft, including a specialised Tu-142MR strategic communications-relay aircraft that plays a key role in maintaining contact with Russia’s nuclear-armed submarines.
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