Navy Lookout – Plans to expand the RN’s nuclear submarine docking capacity at Faslane could see major infrastructure built overseas, despite the strategic sensitivity of the programme. A report in The Sunday Times suggests questions remain over whether British yards still retain the expertise to construct large floating dry docks domestically as the MoD advances Programme EUSTON.

Naval News – The UK is re-deploying its Type 45 air-defence destroyer HMS Dragon to the Middle East, to pre-position the ship in preparation for any potential multinational mission to secure Strait of Hormuz commercial shipping transits. Such a mission would be intended to take place when the current conflict in the Gulf region has concluded.

Navy Lookout – Royal Navy OPV, HMS Trent, sailed from Devonport at the weekend and is on her way to the Caribbean for her third deployment in the region.

Navy Lookout – HMS Prince of Wales sailed from Scotland yesterday for the first phase of operation FIRECREST, leading a small task group on exercises across Nordic waters and the High North.

USNI News – The Royal Navy will use its hybrid fleet, enhanced with autonomous and uncrewed vessels, to keep pace with Russia in the High North and North Atlantic, according to the service’s transformation plan.

Naval News – The UK’s outfitting of its Bay-class auxiliary vessel RFA Lyme Bay as a naval mine warfare (NMW) ‘mothership’ carrying uncrewed systems for the mine-hunting role illustrates how the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) ‘hybrid navy’ approach can provide flexibility to respond to events like the current Middle East crisis, the UK’s navy chief told a conference in London.

Navy Lookout – HMS Iron Duke has been stripped of her weapons and sensors and has not been to sea since October 2025, despite no formal decommissioning announcement being made. Her withdrawal from active service, less than three years after a £103M refit, raises uncomfortable questions about the Royal Navy’s ability to sustain even its much-reduced surface fleet.

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.

Nova News – The political-military objective is to transform the existing cooperation into a more integrated device

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.

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.

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.

Navy Lookout – The Royal Norwegian Navy has formally joined the Global Combat Ship User Group, bringing together four allied nations committed to building and operating a common class based on the Type 26 frigate platform. Norway signed the group’s charter at a ceremony in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where senior figures from the UK, Canada and Australia had gathered to review progress on the wider programme.

Navy Lookout – Claims that the RN “has more admirals than ships” are frequently repeated with the implication that the service is top-heavy and reducing leader numbers would help solve the woes of the service. The assertion is technically incorrect anyway, but the number of admirals reflects the complexity of the Navy and a breadth of responsibilities that extend beyond core naval operations.

Navy Lookout – Russian warships are now routinely escorting sanctioned merchant vessels through the Dover Strait, in a direct challenge to the UK government’s pledge to interdict the shadow fleet. Royal Navy OPVs and Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers were deployed this week to monitor these movements, although outgunned by the warships they shadow.

Navy Lookout – Hydrographic information is key to enabling safe navigation, protecting infrastructure and supporting defence operations. Here we look at the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), which sits at the centre of this effort, supported by the Royal Navy, which collects much of the foundational data that enables mariners and autonomous systems to operate effectively at sea.

Navy Lookout – After being rushed into theatre to help protect Cyprus during the recent regional crisis, Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Dragon, conducted a brief patrol off the island but has remained at Souda Bay in Crete since 23rd March, around 920 km away. While the optics are poor, the destroyer’s enforced time in Greece has not proved critical, and the time has not been wasted.

Navy Lookout – This is speculation, but it is possible HMS Queen Elizabeth could go into a reduced readiness state until HMS Prince of Wales next maintenance period. Arguably, getting more availability from the RN’s frigates and destroyers is a more pressing need than having a second carrier at readiness right now. 

Navy Lookout – A Vanguard-class submarine returned to Faslane today after 205 days away, breaking the previous record for the longest unbroken patrol by a Royal Navy submarine.

RUSI – The next three weeks could change western security and the geo-political world forever if the Chagos ‘deal’ passes through UK Parliament.

Defence Blog – Certo Aerospace demonstrated CAPSTONE VTOL anti-submarine tracking capabilities for the Royal Navy at Keevil Airfield on February 23, 2026. The 600kg-class aircraft carried sonobuoys for more than two hours and transmitted acoustic tracking data through Starlink SATCOM.

(Thanks to Alain)

Navy Lookout – Royal Navy warships and aircraft have been activated repeatedly in recent days to monitor Russian naval activity in UK waters, reflecting a sustained increase in traffic through the Channel and North Sea at a time of heightened tension over sanctions enforcement.

Navy Lookout – Specialist Russian submarines have been detected operating in and around British waters, prompting a coordinated response to track and deter potential threats to critical infrastructure.