– Defence Web – An unidentified African country has ordered two OPV 45 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) from Israel Shipyards.
(Thanks to Alain)
A powerful Russian nuclear submarine spotted entering the Baltic Sea
– Estonian World – A powerful Russian nuclear-powered submarine – an Oscar-II class, believed to be the Orel (K-266) – has been seen entering the Baltic Sea early on the morning of 9 July.
(Thanks to Alain)
The Bonhomme Richard fire deals a blow to the Navy’s designs in the Indo-Pacific
– Defense News – The amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, which burned through the night while in port in San Diego, was at the tail end of two years of upgrades supporting the integration of the F-35B, according to Navy documents. That means the Navy will now have fewer options to deploy the next-generation fighter in the Pacific.
Warships in Maintenance Always Face Increased Risk for Fire Damage
– USNI News – Fires are a constant worry for any ship, and every sailor is taught from their earliest days in the service that damage control is everyone’s responsibility. However, that responsibility becomes more complex when a ship is in maintenance. Fewer sailors are typically aboard, and opportunities are greater to spark a fire from welding or other hot work.
Two Decks Are Thought To Separate Fire On USS Bonhomme Richard From 1M Gallons Of Fuel
– War Zone – The Navy says it is throwing everything it has at fighting the blaze on the stricken amphibious assault ship as it enters into its 28th hour.
USS Bonhomme Richard’s Bridge Engulfed In Flames As Fire Rages Into The Night
– USNI News – The USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) continued to burn after the sun had set in San Diego. It now appears that the fire has migrated to the ship’s island superstructure with its bridge seen engulfed in flames, which is a very bad thing. Additional large booms were also heard as the blaze continued to rage aboard some 14 hours after it started.
Distributed Maritime Operations Will Demand ‘Lightning Carriers’
– USNI Proceedings – As the Navy and Marine Corps adapt to distributed maritime operations and distributed lethality, the types of aircraft carriers and their roles also must adapt.
Does the Pentagon Understand What a Navy Is For?
– Defense One – Fleet-force planning has been seized by a Joint Staff and Defense Secretary who put budget-slicing before strategy.
Russian Navy Has Deployed Marine Mammals In Syrian Civil War
– Naval News – The Russian Navy appears to have deployed marine mammals in Syria during the civil war two years ago.
American Surveillance Aircraft Have Been Flooding Into The Airspace South Of Taiwan
– War Zone – For the past three weeks, there has been a big increase in U.S. military air activity in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Chinese Military Shows Off ‘Rifle-Size Railguns’ In New Video
– Forbes – While the U.S. Navy is reportedly struggling to build cannon-sized railguns for its ships, not only has China already put a railgun-armed ship to sea, it is now showing off rifle- and pistol-sized versions being fired at targets.
Approval Of Mega F-35 Sale For Japan Is A Huge Step Towards Its Aircraft Carrier Ambitions
– War Zone – Japan would become the second-largest Lightning II operator in the world if it bought all 105 jets in the proposed deal.
Stratospheric Balloons Will Rain Tiny Electronic Spies From The Sky
– Forbes – Stratospheric balloons may solve one of the U.S. military’s thorniest problems: gathering intelligence in ‘Anti-Access and Area Denial’ environments, places where the defenses are too dangerous for aircraft to approach.
How The F-35 Triggered Topgun’s Biggest Syllabus Revamp In Nearly Four Decades
– War Zone – Not since the introduction of the F/A-18A Hornet in the 1980s has the famed schoolhouse had to adapt to such an advance in air combat capability.
Hidden Harbors: China’s State-backed Shipping Industry
– CSIS – Chinese companies are increasingly dominant across the maritime supply chain, aided by a complicated and opaque system of formal and informal state support that is unrivaled in size and scope.
Navy To Add Laser Weapons To At Least Seven More Ships In The Next Three Years
– War Zone – The U.S. Navy expects to have eight warships, in total, equipped with the Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy, or ODIN, a laser directed energy weapon system, within the next three years.
Could China’s unwanted FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighter finally land a role in the navy?
– South China Morning Post – A Chinese aviation firm has said it hopes to start testing a new jet next year, prompting speculation that it may be working on a naval version of the FC-31. The fifth-generation fighter, also known as the Gyrfalcon, has so far failed to attract buyers from the Chinese air force or foreign militaries, but defence analysts said it may be possible to adapt it for the new generation of Chinese carriers.
America and China Are Entering the Dark Forest
– Bloomberg – Niall Ferguson says that to know what the Chinese are really up to, read the futuristic novels of Liu Cixin.
Russia Is Using Treaty Clause To Change Submarine Balance In Mediterranean
– Naval News – The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet can now deploy its submarines to the Mediterranean. This is despite an international treaty which many thought would prevent it. The Montreux Convention, agreed in 1936, prohibits submarines from passing through the Bosporus Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. There are exceptions in the treaty for special cases for Black Sea nations: delivery of new submarines to the Black Sea, and exits for repairs. Russia is now routinely using these clauses to reestablish a permanent submarine presence in the Mediterranean. This is changing the balance of power there.
The U.S. Navy shakes up the carrier Ford program after latest setback
– Defense News – The officer overseeing the deployment of the carrier Gerald R. Ford was fired Wednesday, the latest jolt to the trouble program that has been operating under a microscope as technical problems with nearly two dozen new technologies bundled into the lead ship have piled up.
A More Holistic Framework for Military Competition: How the War Might Be Won
– Strategy Bridge – In a compelling revisionist history of the Second World War, How the War Was Won, Phillip’s O’Brien argues, “There were no decisive battles in World War II.” In his broad analysis, O’Brien develops what he terms a “super battlefield.” The superbattlefield is, according to O’Brien, the distinguishing characteristic of modern warfare. Instead of an isolated battlefield, the superbattlefield extends over thousands of miles and includes all aspects of building, training, and deploying military capability. Using this construct, O’Brien argues that the individual battles of World War II had little consequence on the overall outcome of the war…The question for American planners today is twofold. Is O’Brien’s theory of victory in warfare still applicable? And, if it is, what does it mean for how America thinks about fighting wars?
PANG: What We Know About France’s Future Aircraft Carrier
– Naval News – In the coming days, French President Macron is expected to give the “go ahead” to the French Navy’s new generation aircraft carrier (PANG) program. Here is what we know so far.
U.S., Chinese Navies Hold Dueling Exercises in the South China Sea
– USNI News – The U.S. and Chinese navies are holding competing naval exercises in the South China Sea, as the Beijing accuses Washington of militarizing the region. On Saturday, the U.S. Navy’s Reagan and Nimitz carrier strike groups transited from the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea and held the first dual-carrier drills there since 2014.
China and Taiwan Could Be Headed Towards a Showdown. What Should America Do?
– National Interest – Hand it to CCP strongman Xi Jinping: he is a uniter. His bluster and saber-rattling may well unite Taiwanese behind the cause of independence. Beijing could respond quite aggressively. What would America do in response?
Building the Next Generation French Aircraft Carrier
– Defense.Info – A new-generation aircraft carrier to succeed the Charles de Gaulle flagship would cost at least €5 billion ($5.6 billion), with a larger price tag if France opted for nuclear propulsion over a conventional engine room, a June 24 French senate report said.
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