Ireland goes for combat-design ship
Ireland’s long-planned acquisition of a €300 million Multi-Role Vessel (MRV) has stalled as the Naval Service reportedly pushes for a more combat-capable design. The...
Mogami deal with Japan huge on several countsi
By Robert Farley*
Australia in August inked a deal to purchase 11 new frigates from Japan. The sale was noteworthy not only for the hypermodern...
Time again for battleships?
By Tom Sharpe*
If you like warships then you will have a fondness for battleships. It’s impossible not to. Their size, their lines, their massive...
How China boosted shipbuilding
Ten years ago, the Chinese Communist Party, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, introduced two major policy initiatives: Made in China 2025 and military-civil...
Non-ice shadow tanker in Arctic waters
The Mires is 244 metres long and sails under the flag of Sierra Leone. “Ships of this kind are in danger of serious damage...
Some caution over uncrewed vessels
By Tom Sharpe*
The march to autonomy in warfare continues. Led by Ukraine and closely followed by China, the obvious requirement for “lethal mass” demands...
Lessons from the end of the Ark Royal
In December 1978, HMS Ark Royal, the Royal Navy’s last conventional aircraft carrier, paid off for the final time. Laid down in 1943, commissioned...
SA-Rolls Royce sign AUKUS booster
In a major boost to Australia’s AUKUS program, the South Australian government has reached a landmark agreement with British defence giant Rolls-Royce to boost...
Forget-me-not: lessons from US ship-building
By Marcus Jones*
In March 2025 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, Ronald O’Rourke, naval analyst for the Congressional...
New family of uncrewed surface vessels
American shipbuilding giant HII is beginning to build a new family of autonomous, unmanned surface vessels dubbed Romulus, the company announced during DSEI in...