BFBS – Some of the smallest warships in the Royal Navy’s fleet are heading into Arctic waters to support Nato’s annual cold-weather exercise, Joint Viking 2025.

(Thanks to Alain)

Navy Lookout – On 20th November 2024, the Defence Secretary announced that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark would be decommissioned. Here we look at the context, justifications and potential consequences of this decision.

Navy Lookout – In this article, we consider in more detail the implications following the revelation that an RN submarine deliberately surfaced close to the Russian spy ship Yantar in November 2024.

Navy Lookout – Speaking in Parliament today the Defence Secretary told Parliament in November he had authorised an RN submarine monitoring Russian spy ship Yantar to surface in close proximity.

Navy Lookout – In this guest article, Stuart Dee and Charlotte Kleberg summarise the challenges ahead for Royal Navy aviation.

Navy Lookout – RFA members of the RMT Union have voted to end the long-running dispute over pay after finally being awarded a significant increase that reflects the decline in salaries over many years.

Navy Lookout – Leonardo UK has revealed more about the Proteus technology demonstrator aircraft, developed for the Royal Navy which will undergo flight testing in mid-2025.

Navy Lookout – In this primer, we look at the plan to acquire floating dry docks for Royal Navy nuclear submarine maintenance at Faslane.

USNI News – The United Kingdom is leading a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and NATO effort to track Russian “Shadow Fleet” vessels in Northern European waters, in real time, to protect critical undersea infrastructure, the United Kingdom’s defense minister announced Monday.

Navy Lookout – HMS Somerset ship’s company were re-called to Devonport on Christmas day and sailed on 27th December to monitor Russian vessels close to the UK.

Navy Lookout – In this article we look back at a difficult year for the RN, summarising the key events, achievements and issues for the Naval Service in 2024.

Navy Lookout – Until recently, the RN maintained a meaningful force of at least 6 ships based in Bahrain. For a variety of reasons, this force may soon just comprise of two ships.

Navy Lookout – At the recent IMarEST conference, the RN outlined some of its thinking about how the Type 26 frigate’s Mission Bay could be utilised in service. Here we look at these concepts and progress on the road to delivery.

Navy Lookout – The Sting Ray lightweight anti-submarine torpedo, the RN’s primary ASW weapon, is being upgraded to Mod 2 standard. In this article, we look at this programme and aspirations for various torpedo delivery methods.

Naval News – BAE Systems’ Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) has completed a first set of in-water trials and demonstrations a little over a year after commencing development.

Navy Lookout – On 20th November the government announced that it would be decommissioning 5 more ships. Here we look in detail at the context and future impacts of these choices.

Navy Lookout – The Defence Secretary confirmed in Parliament today that five RN warships are to be scrapped as a cost-saving measure.

Navy Lookout – Royal Navy monitors Russian seabed spy ship Yantar loitering in Irish Sea.

Wavell Room – The Royal Navy (RN) has the Maritime Reserve (MR), a 1* led Fighting Arm1 (FA), however, it could be argued that it is not taken seriously as a capability and is therefore not value for money. If the RN were to take the Maritime Reserve seriously, the MR would require a directed operational output, a ‘head mark’, a thought-out function, in conjunction with regular cadre of personnel who are taught the necessary knowledge and experience on how to employ it to enhance naval power. This article offers options for the output the MR should have in supporting the RN operationally.

Council on Geostrategy – Similarly to the previous administration, the new Labour government has pledged to embrace a ‘North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-first’ defence posture. A Strategic Defence Review is now underway to reappraise and determine the shape of the United Kingdom’s (UK) future defences. Given British dependence on the sea for economic growth and prosperity, as well as the Net Zero agenda, the sea power remains central to the national effort. Britain is situated at the centre of the Euro-Atlantic world, a perspective it should embrace and promote. As it looks to boost investment in defence to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and move towards greater integration between the armed forces, the new government should place sea power at the heart of its agenda.

Navy Lookout – During a recent trial, a Wildcat helicopter of 815 Naval Air Squadron shot down a Banshee target drone. The is the first time a Wildcat has detected, tracked, and engaged a drone without outside assistance, giving the aircraft an important air-air capability.

Navy Lookout – Here we examine the recent exercise Strike Warrior, which served as a certification exercise for the UK Carrier Strike Group and a valuable training opportunity. While there were some notable achievements, this exercise also highlighted some underlying concerns about the state of the force.

Navy Lookout – A recent article in The Sun newspaper suggests that submariners were almost “starved’ while on an epic six-month patrol because the boat could not be resupplied with food as planned. Here, we briefly consider the implications of this report.

Navy Lookout – While the main attention has been focused on the core issue of pay for Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors, the long-running dispute between the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs) and the MoD is more complex than has been presented in the media.

Navy Lookout – While the RFA is struggling to get ships to sea, the most active vessel in its fleet, RFA Tidesurge has been sustaining allied warships in the Atlantic and High North.