Surface Vessels

Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully completed the first test flight of the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial refueler. The MQ-25 will provide the Navy with a much-needed carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling capability. It will allow for better use of the combat strike fighters currently performing the tanking role and will extend the range of the carrier air wing.

Babcock Team 31 has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) as the preferred bidder to deliver its new warships. Led by Aerospace and Defence company Babcock, in partnership with the Thales Group, the T31 general-purpose frigate program will deliver the Royal Navy with five light frigates, at an average production cost of £250 million per ship. The first ship is scheduled for launch in 2023. The ships follow Babcocks's Arrowhead 140 design, balancing between global mission capability in blue or white waters, both at an affordable cost. Work on the fleet of five ships will begin immediately following formal contract award later this financial year, with detailed design work to start now and manufacture commencing in 2021 and concluding in 2027.

The Boeing Company was selected to develop and build the Stingray MQ-25A, the first unmanned refueling aircraft to be operated by the fleet. The U.S. Navy awarded a US$805.3 million contract to Boeing, for the design, development, fabrication, test, delivery, and support of four MQ-25A unmanned air vehicle prototypes, including integration into the carrier air wing for an initial...

With the expected delivery of the first of Magen Class corvette next year the IMOD awards orders for the combat systems to be integrated with those vessels as they arrive in Israel. Elbit Systems announced today the receipt of an order worth US$85 for electronic warfare systems destined for those ships.

The Australian Government selected BAE Systems to build nine new frigates for the Australian Navy under the Australian Navy SEA 5000 Phase 1 Future Frigate project. The new Hunter Class frigates will replace the current ANZAC class frigates and will be optimized for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The new vessels. The new warships are based on the Global Combat Ship design pioneered by BAE Systems, which was also selected for the Royal Navy Type 26 frigate.

Tthe U.S. Navy selected the Norwegian Naval Strike Missile (NSM) developed by Kongsberg Defense to provide the fleet of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) of the U.S. Navy with an Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) capability engaging hostile ships and land targets at ranges of 200 and beyond. Adding an offensive over-the-horizon capability is essential for the LCS to address the US Navy’s Distributed Lethality (DT) strategy. The Navy defines DT as the capability to strike from any ship and at any place in the world. The Navy considers that deploying offensive weapons on as many U.S. ships as possible would complicate an enemy’s ability to attack.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has formed an industry team to pursue the US Navy MQ-25 Stingray, the future carrier-based aerial refueling drone program. The most surprising member is the Autonomous Systems division of the Boeing Company. Boeing is also pursuing the MQ-25 opportunity with its own MQ-25 platform, developed by its rapid prototyping center - the 'Phantom Works'.

Gibbs & Cox naval architecture and marine engineering firm (G&C) will support the functional design of new, Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC), a new class of frigate based on the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship ordered by the Royal Navy of Saudi Arabia.

Finland is upgrading the Hamina-class fast attack missile crafts to assume the mission of Rauma class Fast Attack Crafts that will retire in 2020. The Squadron 2000 Mid-Life Upgrade programme will extend the service life of Hamina-class vessels until 2035.

Three newly commissioned Multi-Purpose Assault Crafts (MPAC MKIII) of the Philippines Navy will soon be equipped with Spike ER multi-purpose missiles, the local Department of National Defense (DND) said. The missiles are expected to arrive in country during the first quarter of 2018. Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems company is providing three Mini Typhoon weapon systems for the new...

Brazil has purchased Royal Navy ship HMS Ocean, the helicopter carrier recently retired from the Royal Navy service. The UK Ministry of Defense is selling the Ocean for £84 million. The vessel will remain in the UK until the autumn of 2018.

The planned arrival of amphibious support ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) in the Pacific Ocean introduces a new capability for amphibious support ships carrying the F-35B fifth-generation stealth fighters without relying on large aircraft carriers. Apart from the American LHD, both Japan and South Korea are interested in the new potential mating STOVL fighters with flat-deck helicopter carriers. Both countries already acquired the conventional take-off variant (F-35A), and consider operating the Short Take-Off / Vertical Landing (STOVL) B version from ships.

On Friday, December 15, Lockheed Martin delivered the 66th F-35 aircraft for the year, meeting the joint government and industry delivery target for 2017. The delivery rate in 2017 represents more than a 40 percent increase from 2016, and the F-35 enterprise is prepared to increase production volume year-over-year to hit full rate of approximately 160 aircraft in 2023. As production ramps and additional improvements are implemented, Lockheed Martin's goal is to reduce the cost of an F-35A to $80 million by 2020.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed a Maritime version of its Harop Loitering Munitions (LM) family. The company is displaying the weapon at the DSEI 2017 defense expo in London this week. The new marine capabilities of the HAROP extends the operational capability of surface ships, from offshore patrol vessels to naval frigates. The technological adjustments of the marine...