Modern Military News

Shipbuilder Metal Shark has introduced the welded-aluminum “52 Fearless Super Interceptor,” an offshore-capable, ultra-high-performance military patrol vessel delivering 70-knot top speeds. Production has commenced at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette, La. production facility, with 15 vessels currently on order for overseas military and law enforcement interests.Metal Shark developed the 52 Fearless Super Interceptor in response to growing demand among military operators for larger and…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark and the US Navy are nearing the end of the operational test and evaluation (OT&E) trial period for the Navy’s incoming standardized “40 PB” patrol boat platform.Developed as the replacement for up to 160 patrol vessels deployed worldwide with Navy Expeditionary Combat Command’s Coastal Riverine Forces (CRF), Metal Shark’s 40 Defiant design was selected in late 2017 from a field of seven competing shipbuilders.Metal Shark produced two of the 40-foot, welded-aluminum monohull pilothouse patrol boats for test and evaluation purposes…

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Thursday that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division will reactivate part of its shipbuilding facilities that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The site on the east bank of the Pascagoula River is the original Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., founded in 1938. According to the shipbuilder, its reactivation will restore the facility’s ability to support Ingalls’ current ship construction and modernization programs as well as help the company better prepare for future work, including next-generation amphibious assault ships and surface combatants.

The chief of naval operations created a task force, headed by the Navy's senior oceanographer, to better understand and evaluate the changing climate and its implications for maritime security. "Task Force Climate Change was initiated ... to assess the Navy's preparedness to respond to emerging requirements and to develop a science-based time line for future Navy actions regarding climate change," explained Rear Adm. "Because the Arctic is changing faster than any other place on the planet, our first deliverable will be a strategic roadmap proposing actions for the Navy regarding the Arctic region," Titley said. This may include an assessment of how the maritime strategy applies to the Arctic region…

The inherent diversity of the multitude of vessels plying rivers, lakes, harbors and oceans around the world extends past size and shape and type of service - at the heart of each vessel is a propulsion system. Although propulsion systems may often be considered unique, a variety of typical solutions for most types of vessels already exist. In some cases, it may be preferable to simply specify the duplication of an existing propulsion system, allowing a degree of harmonization in the number of required spares, trained mechanics, and maintenance. It would seem, however, that ship owners and operators are placing an increased premium on designs and solutions both unique and innovative, in order to reduce costs and maximize performance.

According to reports, India’s navy will acquire six new submarines and 33 ships. The reports indicated that it would take about six years for the navy to acquire the six new submarines and 33 ships. It currently has 126 ships and 16 submarines, some of which are aging. India has been seeking to bolster its rise as an economic power by reshaping its armed forces into a modern military capable of projecting power well beyond its shores. The defense ministry said that it was inviting bids from international aircraft makers for 126 combat jets to upgrade its air force's capability at an estimated cost of $10b. India is expected to evaluate aircraft built by U.S. manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Boeing, France's Dassault Aviation, Sweden's Gripen-SAAB and Russia's Sukhoi.

Bureau Veritas has joined forces with military ships designers and builders to update and complete its Rules for Classification of Naval Ships. The new rules, which build on Bureau Veritas’s experience with high-technology vessels and materials, will provide designers and builders with a safe, pragmatic, robust and rational framework for military ships of all sizes. Yves Le Gal, head of military developments at BV’s Paris head office, says, “Naval concerns about the safety of military ship in peacetime have prompted the development of naval classification rules. This new edition, dated September 2006, benefits from experience gained during the recent new construction programmes for the French navy.

Bureau Veritas has joined forces with prominent military ships designers and builders to update and complete its Rules for Classification of Naval Ships. The new rules, which build on Bureau Veritas’s experience with high-technology vessels and materials, will provide designers and builders with a safe, pragmatic, robust and rational framework for military ships of all sizes. Yves Le Gal, head of military developments at BV’s Paris head office, says, “Naval concerns about the safety of military ship in peacetime have prompted the development of naval classification rules. This new edition, dated September 2006, benefits from experience gained during the recent new construction programmes for the French navy.

The multi-billion contract to build a new family of Navy ships took one giant step last month with the awarding of development contracts to three industry teams. The fight to win the contract to design and build the family of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) is sure to be fierce, as the deal to build up to 60 of the vessels will help feed the corporate coffers of the successful team for decades to come. LCS is indicative of the Navy's transformation from a deepwater fleet leftover from the Cold War threat of only one other credible super power, to the reality of today's multi-faceted threat environment: small, hard to find and diverse groups around the globe.