War on the Rocks – Although American naval forces would likely come into play to counter a Chinese blockade of Taiwan, America’s most likely immediate response option is strategic airlift of vital supplies. The successful Berlin Airlift in the earliest phase of the Cold War offers both potential objectives and serious challenges of carrying out such a mission.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Singapore navy orders new submarine and unmanned mine countermeasure assets
Breaking Defense – The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) used the island state’s biennial naval exhibition to announce two important acquisitions: one for unmanned mine countermeasure vessels and the other for new, manned submarines.
(Thanks to Alain)
Ukraine Situation Report: Russian Navy Creating New Drone Regiments In Wake Of Enemy Successes
The War Zone – The Russian Navy is applying lessons learned from Ukraine’s multi-pronged drone campaigns to reinvent parts of its own force.
Navy deploys warships to protect Sulu, Basilan polls
Manila Standard – The Philippine Navy has deployed several warships to support efforts in ensuring the safety and credibility of the upcoming 2025 national and local elections in the southern provinces of Sulu and Basilan.
(Thanks to Alain)
Candid Image Gives First Evidence Of China’s Secretive Armed Underwater Drone
Naval News – China continues to innovate in the underwater arena. A fresh image reveals one of its latest creations, an extra-large underwater drone (XLUUV). The drone is likely armed with torpedoes, mines or missiles, setting it apart from Western types.
With no alternatives, the Argentine Navy considers decommissioning the Super Étendard Modernisé fighters acquired from France in 2019
Zona Militar – Throughout 2025, news regarding the Argentine Navy’s Super Étendard fighters has been scarce, with no mention of them by naval authorities or in the Management Reports submitted by the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers to the National Congress. This situation appears to foreshadow a decision that has been in the works within the Navy’s leadership, concerning the Super Étendard Modernisé aircraft acquired in 2019 which, to date, despite various efforts and testing, have not even completed a single test flight. According to sources consulted by Zona Militar, the decision would involve the decommissioning of these aircraft, a move that has been shared in camaraderie meetings attended by high-ranking Navy officials to provide an overview of the force’s present and future.
(Thanks to Alain)
The survivability of the aircraft carrier
Navy Lookout – Against the backdrop of the ongoing Defence Review and naval air power deployed in the Red Sea, the debate about the viability of aircraft carriers continues. In this guest article, Tim Griffiths considers the remarkable ability of these ships to withstand enemy action and serious accidents.
AI-enabled underwater gliders could enhance Royal Navy ASW capability
Navy Lookout – Helsing has unveiled a new uncrewed system for persistent underwater surveillance being offered to the RN. The Lura software platform and SG-1 Fathom autonomous glider have significant anti-submarine warfare potential using mass deployment and AI-enabled acoustic processing.
Indian Navy Sent to North Arabian Sea to Deter Pakistan, Say Officials
USNI News – The Indian Navy massed naval forces in the Northern Arabian Sea and sent a carrier battle group, surface combatants, submarines and naval aviation to keep their Pakistani adversaries in a “defensive position,” officials said this week. .
Is the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 2025 Finally Here?
National Interest – James Holmes writes that one hopes that Russian and Chinese capability and malevolence have landed a hard enough knock to induce Congress and the White House to persevere with a naval renaissance.
Sea Dragons: Special Operations and Chinese Military Strategy
China Maritime Studies Institute – As China continues to rise as a global sea power, its maritime strategy continues to evolve. Among these critical evolutions is one of the People’s Liberation Army’s naval special operations forces’ most elite units: the Sea Dragons. A small yet highly specialized unit, the Sea Dragons entered the global spotlight and international consciousness with the 2018 film Operation Red Sea, raising several questions for Chinese naval experts. What does Chinese military strategy and doctrine require of special forces, and specifically naval SOF, to be able to accomplish the mission, particularly along the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea? What are their capabilities and limitations? What real-world experience do they have and how might they be employed in the future? This volume attempts to answer those questions and many more regarding one of China’s more enigmatic units and its role in future peacetime and low-intensity conflicts.
A British carrier group is coming to the Pacific—with doubts looming over it
The Strategist – The British carrier force faces obstacles. The only kind of fighter that the carriers can operate is the F-35B, which can make short take-offs unassisted by a catapult and can land vertically, not needing arrestor wires. Britain doesn’t have enough F-35Bs, and there’s a serious risk that the price of buying them will rise steeply.
Meanwhile, the ships rely on helicopters for carrying air-surveillance radars aloft, whereas some kind of aeroplane, with greater altitude and endurance, would be far better for the task.
China’s New Liaowang-1 Space Support Ship: Defensive And Offensive Capabilities From Sea To Satellites
1945 – The People’s Republic of China (PRC) just fielded the world’s largest space support ship by far.
Denmark to field unmanned vessels for monitoring busy shipping routes
Defense News – U.S.-based Saildrone will deploy four large unmanned surface vessels in Danish waters next month to conduct maritime surveillance missions and help protect critical undersea infrastructure.
Stealthy Special Operations Speedboats Are Getting Kamikaze Drone Launchers
The War Zone – The Navy’s future Combatant Craft Medium Mk 2s will gain the ability to launch long-range strikes on their own.
Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile-Armed AC-130J Gunships Could Be On The Horizon
The War Zone – Harpoons would give AC-130Js a dedicated tool for engaging enemy ships and fit well with plans to boost their capabilities with new radars.
Russia’s Nuclear Submarine Fleet Has A Message For NATO And The U.S. Navy
1945 – While Russia’s surface navy faces significant setbacks, particularly in the Black Sea, its submarine force remains a potent and advanced threat, led by the Yasen-M class nuclear-powered guided missile submarines (SSGNs).
BlueWhale™ – A True Submarine Force Multiplier
Naval News – Seafaring nations face unique challenges in ensuring the safety, security and sovereignty of their nautical frontiers. Even in times of tranquility they must guard against threats such as terrorism, smuggling, illegal fishing, natural resources theft, and uncontrolled mass immigration. And when conflict does arise, these nations must have anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel warfare capabilities to defend against naval incursion or attack. Even before the outbreak of open hostilities, it is imperative that they be able to detect and track hostile naval forces engaged in intelligence gathering and other covert activities.
(Thanks to Alain)
Securing the Depths: Rethinking EU Critical Infrastructure Protection in a Contested Underwater Domain
Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy – Controlling and monitoring the undersea domain is becoming crucial for the European Union, with geopolitical and economic interests at risk in specific sea regions ranging from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.
The EU’s cable security plan puts the feasibility and security of new European underwater infrastructure at risk due to the legal, political and military implications, especially given Russia’s new assertiveness.
Instead of fixed cable sensors, Europe should prioritise investing in two alternative and combined solutions: EU-funded projects for unmanned vehicles and innovative fibre optic sensing solutions.
Why the explosion on a port in Iran sheds light on the supplies of weapons from China
France 24 – More than sixty people were killed in an explosion over the port of Shahid Rajaee in Iran on April 26. Several sources designate a cargo as responsible for the explosion: containers containing sodium perchlorate – a substance necessary for the manufacture of missile fuel. If the causes remain unclear, the tragedy highlights the role of supply ships, connecting China to Iran, and which seek to hide their activities.
(In French) (Thanks to Alain)
Super Hornet Crashes Landing On USS Truman, Its Second F/A-18 Loss In A Week
The War Zone – USS Harry S. Truman has been striking the Houthis, with the other F/A-18 rolled off the deck during an attack on the ship by the rebels last week.
Turkey Plots Nuclear-Powered Undersea Breakthrough: MILDEN Submarine Program Signals Bid for Maritime Supremacy
Defence Security Asia – Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu revealed that the knowledge and expertise required to build nuclear-powered submarines would be cultivated under Turkey’s national submarine development program, known as MILDEN (Milli Denizaltı Projesi), which forms the cornerstone of the country’s naval modernization efforts.
(Thanks to Alain)
Marine AH-1Z Attack Helicopter’s Mystery Missiles Identified
The War Zone – The modular Red Wolf launched effects weapon could give Marine AH-1Zs a key new standoff strike tool and open the door to other capabilities.
The Democratization of Sea Warfare
National Interest – James Holmes writes that oceanic strife is no longer solely an affair for great powers. It’s no longer even just for states.
China’s exploitation of overseas ports and bases
The Atlantic Council – This paper examines the potential for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to exploit its growing network of overseas ports and bases to challenge control of the seas in a conventional war with the United States. Security concerns with Chinese ownership of overseas ports fall into three main categories. First, China collects vast amounts of intelligence via its port network. Second, it could use that intelligence and its control of key ports and piers to disrupt US shipments during wartime. Finally, China could leverage these ports to pre-position weapons, ammunition, and equipment to resupply its warships and armed merchants or rapidly establish anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) nodes near major maritime choke points. In short, China could exploit this network to challenge the sea control essential to US success in an armed conflict.
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