Covert Shores – A small narco-surface drone (USV – uncrewed surface vessel) has been found by Spanish authorities floating off Gibraltar. The black-pained device could easily be mistaken for a submersible. Like the low-profile narco USV recently found in Colombia it appears to use Starlink for communications and navigation. A camera on the nose would allow the pilot to steer it.
Future Anti-Ship PrSM Prioritizes Indo-Pacific Ops and 1,000 km Range
Naval News – A future variant of the U.S. Army’s future Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) anti-ship ballistic missile should be able to strike maritime targets at ranges up to 1,000 kilometers and must be able to operate in the Indo-Pacific, according to recent program documents.
Royal Navy team warns of humanitarian crisis as mariners trapped by dual blockade in the Gulf
Navy Lookout – The Strait of Hormuz has effectively ceased to function as an international shipping lane, with the Royal Navy-led monitoring team reporting fewer than 10 vessels transiting daily against a pre-conflict figure of around 130. The International Energy Agency has described the consequences as the greatest global energy security challenge in history and the largest oil supply disruption ever recorded.
US Reveals New Details Of Their Ukrainian Magura USV
Covert Shores – The U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) has released photos on the official media site DVIDS showing a Ukrainian Magura USV (uncrewed surface vessel) at the Balikatan 2026 exercise in the Philippines in April. The exact model may be the Magura V6 or V7. The photos include the loading of a novel shaped charge warhead which was used in the MARSTRIKE-N live firing component of the exercise.
How the UK-led anti-Russian Northern Naval Force might operate
Nova News – The political-military objective is to transform the existing cooperation into a more integrated device
Navy, Marine Corps weighing force generation model revamp for amphibs
Breaking Defense – Navy and Marine Corps leaders said they are considering shaking up the 36-month Optimized Fleet Response plan, in lieu of a longer cycle that can accommodate two deployments.
GUGI: Russia’s secretive and strategically important special forces of the sea explained
Forces News – When you hear about Russian subs and warships in UK waters, spying on data cables or testing UK defences, they are probably part of GUGI – the Russian acronym for the Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research. Since the end of the Cold War, GUGI has avoided the defence cuts imposed elsewhere, allowing them to pour millions into submarine development. They are effectively Russia’s Special Forces of the sea, who are capable of carrying out extreme deep sea operations.
Marines Offer Glimpse Of New Plan For Its Future Ground Combat Forces
The War Zone – Ground Combat Element 2040 offers hints into how the Marines expect to fight in a future dominated by AI and autonomous weapons.
Marines Considering Alternative Ships for SOUTHCOM Deployments
USNI News – The Marine Corps is preparing to deploy Marines on specialty platforms like the Expeditionary Fast Transport and the Expeditionary Sea Base to meet combatant commander demands in the Caribbean.
US Navy to extend service life of amphibious assault ship USS Wasp by 5 years
Defense News – The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have extended the lifespan of the lead Wasp-class amphibious assault ship by five years and are considering doing the same for other vessels in the amphibious fleet.
China Maritime Studies Institute – Given the substantial increase in sustainment requirements for the PLA Navy’s next-generation aircraft carriers, and acknowledging the limitations inherent in the Type 901 replenishment ship due to the technological constraints of its design era, the next-generation (新型) carrier replenishment vessel is expected to undergo significant modifications compared to its predecessor in several key areas.
Is the Shadow Fleet Rallying ‘Round the Russian Flag?
RUSI – International pressure on flag registries has pushed part of Russia’s shadow fleet directly under Russian registration, potentially exposing news limits of sanctions enforcement.
Ship that Debuted with the Nigerian Navy will be Key for Future U.S., Australian Naval Forces
USNI News – A class of landing vessels designed by a Dutch firm – first built in the United Arab Emirates and debuted by the Nigerian Navy – will become the mainstay of U.S. Marine Corps and Australian Defense Force amphibious operations across the Indo-Pacific Region in the coming decades.
Beyond Disruption: The Hidden Economics of Houthi Attacks
RUSI – Houthi attacks on shipping are read as an instrument of geopolitical pressure. That reading is incomplete. The attacks have a second, less visible effect – and it is economic.
First Sea Lord expands on hybrid navy vision in landmark Fisher lecture
Navy Lookout – General Gwyn Jenkins delivered the inaugural Lord Fisher lecture at RUSI today, setting out the Royal Navy’s transformation into a hybrid fleet of crewed and autonomous platforms. The First Sea Lord announced results of wargamed analysis, confirmed the delivery of more USVs, and launched a formal Northern Navies multinational force initiative.
UK Royal Navy Chief Announces Northern Navies Plan to Enhance Regional Combat Power
Naval News – The UK Royal Navy (RN) Chief has announced plans for a new naval collaboration construct designed to build combat power and conventional deterrence around Northern European countries’ northern maritime border, with Russia.
Chinese naval hospital ship Silk Road Ark wraps up first, longest overseas mission
Global Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s hospital ship Silk Road Ark returned to a military port in Sanya, South China’s Hainan Province on Sunday after completing Harmony Mission-2025, its first mission outside China and the longest of its kind.
Navy Still Pushing To Field New AARGM-ER Radar-Busting Missile This Year Despite “Strategic Pause”
The War Zone – The Navy expects to see the AGM-88G AARGM-ER enter service in September despite not planning to buy any of them in the next fiscal year.
India races to boost conventional, nuclear submarine combat punch
Defense News – India has inducted a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and is in the final stages of sealing an $8 billion deal with Germany for six conventional submarines as it focuses on boosting its underwater capabilities with an eye on the prospect of greater presence of Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Missiles Deploy Near Taiwan During Balikatan Exercise, Chinese Action Group Operates Nearby
USNI News – American missile systems were deployed last week to a remote Luzon Strait island 100 miles south of Taiwan as part of Washington and Manila’s Balikatan 2026 military drills.
Why Russia’s Titanium-Hulled Sierra-Class Submarines Still Terrify the U.S. Navy — The Deep-Sea Threat America Never Fully Solved
Defence Security Asia – Capable of diving beyond 550 meters, evading Magnetic Anomaly Detection, and hunting America’s Ohio-class nuclear submarines, Russia’s Sierra-class attack subs remain one of NATO’s most dangerous undersea nightmares.
Turkish warship, submarine in Cyprus this week
Cyprus Mail – The Turkish Kilic class corvette the TCG Imbat and the naval submarine the TCG Gur will both sail to Cyprus this week to partake in celebrations to be held in the north for Turkey’s national sovereignty and children’s day.
(Thanks to Alain)
‘We Made A Mistake We Can’t Ever Fix’: The U.S. Navy’s Seawolf-Class Submarine Shortage Makes Russia And China Smile
1945 – In the early 2000s, I visited the USS Connecticut in dry dock while she was getting repairs, completely out of the water, and the image is locked in my head forever: it was amazing. As of this writing in April 2026, the United States Navy has exactly one Seawolf-class attack submarine ready to go to war. And that submarine — USS Jimmy Carter — was not built to fight the way the other two were. As one former engineer for Electric Boat out in Groton told me years ago: “We made a mistake we can’t ever fix. We should have built more Seawolf-class submarines. We are paying the price and there is no going back.”
Defence Committee chairman says “UK’s political leadership on AUKUS has dwindled”
Navy Lookout – The House of Commons Defence Committee published a report praising the scale of investment flowing into the AUKUS submarine programme while warning that political grip on delivery is loosening. With the Royal Navy’s SSN fleet at critically low availability and Barrow’s regeneration underfunded, today’s report identifies the steps the Government must take before the consequences become irreversible.
World-first submarine drone travels 1,257 miles underwater on hydrogen power
Interesting Engineering – A Canadian company’s submarine drone has traveled more than 1,257 miles fully submerged, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and completed a 385-hour mission without surfacing.
(Thanks to Alain)
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