Mehr – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has unveiled a new high-speed vessel equipped with advanced cruise missiles capable of targeting enemy destroyers, marking a significant enhancement in Iran’s naval defense capabilities.
(Thanks to Alain)
BBC – A Hong Kong-based company has agreed to sell most of its stake in two key ports on the Panama Canal to a group led by US investment firm BlackRock. The sale comes after weeks of complaining by President Donald Trump that the canal is under Chinese control and that the US should take control of the major shipping route.
Army Recognition – According to MilitaryRussia on March 2, 2025, the Baltic Fleet appears to have a new flagship, as the Russian Navy has left the Severomorsk, a Udaloy-class destroyer, in the Baltic Sea following its 14-month technical restoration and combat training, rather than returning it to its home fleet. This decision appears to be related to the status of the Baltic Fleet’s former flagship, the Nastoichivy, which has likely been decommissioned and is awaiting disposal, as suggested by the cessation of its sea deployments.
(Thanks to Alain)
National Interest – James Holmes writes that lawmakers are contemplating is a letter of marque that bestows the authority to execute an open-ended maritime campaign under supervision from Washington.
Navy Lookout – In February, the Royal Navy received its first serial production Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) system—an advanced suite of technologies designed to locate, classify and neutralise naval mines, operated either autonomously or via remote control.
Naval News – The use of Harpoon anti-ship missile on foreign customers of the F-16 is not uncommon. Integrating them on American F-16s is.
RUSI – In South America, keeping costs and labour in local shipyards might be an option to compete with a heavily stressed global market.
National Interest – Mounting a standing presence in America’s backyard could pay handsome returns on a modest Chinese investment.
Navy Lookout – CETUS, first Extra Large Underwater Autonomous Vehicle (XLUAV) technology demonstrator to be owned by the RN was launched in Plymouth this week.
USNI News – The Black Sea has become the Navy’s laboratory for rehearsing and operationalizing the best ways to tie unmanned, robotic systems’ effects with the crewed fleet’s combat power and electronic warfare capabilities, the U.S.’s senior officer supporting Ukraine’s maritime operations said.
Center for Maritime Security – As U.S. policymakers seek to secure critical infrastructure, they must build resiliency in the undersea cable networks that underpin America’s national security.
Navy Lookout – In this guest article, Mark Scott argues that significantly growing the RN is not an insurmountable challenge. The rationale for a stronger force is not the main focus of the piece, instead, the emphasis remains on the methodology required to achieve such an expansion.
Naval News – In February a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) task group – comprising the Type 055 cruiser Zunyi, Type 054A frigate Hengyang and Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu – sailed deep into the Tasman Sea, the body of water separating Australia and New Zealand. As the warships fired live rounds and caused commercial jetliners to divert, alarm rippled through the corridors of power in Australia and New Zealand.
Naval News – Commander Submarines NATO (COMSUBNATO) operates within Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) based in Northwood, UK, and serves alongside peer commands NATO Maritime Air and NATO Surface Forces to form the operational backbone of NATO maritime activities.
USNI News – China carried out a “joint combat readiness patrol” drill on Wednesday in an area 40 nautical miles off Taiwan that included live fire drills, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, which condemned the drills and dispatched military forces to monitor the drills.
CTV – A Canadian military submarine that was heavily damaged when it ran aground off British Columbia in 2011 is back at sea for the first time since the collision, now undergoing mechanical trials near Victoria.
(Thanks to Alain)
Reuters – Three oil tankers have been damaged by blasts in the last month in separate incidents around the Mediterranean, with the causes unknown, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday.
(Thanks to Alain)
The Defence Post – The Belgian frigate Louise-Marie has joined a NATO mission to boost maritime security.
(Thanks to Alain)
USNI News – Aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91) made a port visit to the Philippines on Friday and Saturday after conducting drills in the South China Sea with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
USNI News – China’s escalating military demonstrations of force toward Taiwan are “not exercises; they are rehearsals” for forced reunification with the mainland, the United States’ top military commander in the Indo-Pacific warned last week.
The War Zone – The deployment is part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission that was created after several suspected cable sabotage incidents.
Navy Lookout – The Peregrine Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System (RWUAS) has been deployed from HMS Lancaster for the first time during live operations in the Middle East.
BBC – Planes flying between Australia and New Zealand have been diverted as China conducts a closely-scrutinised military exercise in nearby waters that may involve live fire.
China Maritime Studies Institute – This month a PRC government-owned defense magazine published a special report on one of the U.S. Navy’s newer missiles, calling it a “huge threat” and predicting it will “massively change” the future of naval warfare. The missile? The AIM-174B, an air launched variant of the Navy’s Standard Missile 6 (SM-6). What is it about this weapon that warranted a special report by PRC experts?
Defense News – France’s Naval Group has criticized Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems for hurting European submarine vendors by transferring technology to countries that later managed to build their own boats for export.
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