Current RN News and Updates

[Pelican]

A more lethal Royal Navy: Sharpening Britain’s naval power

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Foreword

This Report is the first to be released by the Council on Geostrategy’s Strategic Advantage Cell. Kindly sponsored by Lockheed Martin, this Cell is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom (UK). It was established to explore how Britain can induce ‘strategic advantage’ – a concept first introduced in the Integrated Review of 2021 – in its foreign and defence policies. This new initiative is pursuing four strands of research: maritime power, hypersonic weapons, space power, and British allies and partners. These themes were chosen due to their topicality and their importance to the UK’s global position in the middle years of the 21st century.

As an island state, Britain and its overseas territories are heavily dependent on open access to the sea and freedom of navigation. The sea is a superhighway to access the rest of the world, whether by ship or by critical maritime infrastructure in the form of fibre optic cables, power lines, or gas pipelines. To meet its environmental commitments and maximise the opportunities of Net Zero, the UK also generates a growing percentage of its electricity from offshore wind farms. Guarding these maritime interests is the Royal Navy, as the custodian of the British nuclear deterrent which acts as the ultimate guarantor of the nation.

But a number of hostile states and competitors have grown stronger at sea over the past decade, countries which have sought to subvert the international order. To meet this challenge, it is widely acknowledged that Britain needs a larger and even more capable fleet. This Report provides a number of ideas as to how a stronger navy could be realised. More than that, it identifies areas where His Majesty’s (HM) Government and the Royal Navy can induce strategic advantage by taking specific measures to enhance the lethality and survivability of British submarines, warships and auxiliaries, thereby strengthening their ability to deliver strategic effect. We hope you find its conclusions and recommendations insightful and useful.

James Rogers Co-founder and Director of Research, Council on Geostrategy

See https://www.geostrategy.org.uk/research ... val-power/

[Brian James]

HMS Triumph departs Plymouth...https://youtu.be/rgJ4X0QpVXA?si=wPg6ZVyqeBKJivlO

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout
Peregrine Future Tactical Uncrewed Air System (FUTAS) finally due to be in service with the RN "within weeks".
https://navylookout.com/peregrine-rotar ... oyal-navy/

[Pelican]

Historian Dan Snow talks to the First Sea Lord

At this year’s First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference, Historian Dan Snow and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key chatted about the evolution of naval warfare, the impact of digital transformation on modern military strategy, and the Royal Navy’s ongoing efforts to adapt to new challenges.
I was lucky enough to be there.

Dan Snow began by asking about the changing nature of conflicts and the specifics of naval operations. The First Sea Lord provided a historical overview, highlighting the importance of the ship master and wind for navigation 200 years ago. He described the transition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when naval warfare shifted due to advancements led by his predecessors.

During this period, the role of engineers became crucial as ships moved from sail to steam power, fundamentally transforming naval operations.

Key stated: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/histori ... -sea-lord/

[Pelican]

Britain spending £1bn to develop hypersonic strike missile

Britain’s development of a sovereign hypersonic strike capability is taking a substantial leap forward with a new agreement to facilitate collaboration on cutting-edge technology.
Ninety organisations – large and small – from across industry and academia have secured a place on a £1 billion transformational Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) agreement set up to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic missile capabilities for the UK.

The organisations accepted onto the eight-lot Framework, which is led by MOD’s Team Hypersonics (UK), will now be eligible to bid for contracts; the maximum value of the Framework across the next seven years is up to £1 billion.

According to a press release: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain ... e-missile/

[Pelican]

Britain developing system to eliminate drone swarms

A new weapon that uses radio waves to disable enemy electronics and take down multiple drones at once is under development for the UK’s armed forces, and it only costs 10p per shot.
An example of a Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), the versatile system can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain ... ne-swarms/

[Pelican]

MOD faces £60,000 cleanup bill after protest graffiti
The Ministry of Defence is facing a significant cleanup bill following an incident of vandalism by protesters last month.
Conservative MP Michael Ellis of Northampton North raised a question in Parliament regarding the financial impact of the graffiti on the historic Ministry of Defence Main Building.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/mod-fac ... -graffiti/

Just Stop Oil supporter who sprayed Scotland Yard sign acquitted
https://juststopoil.org/2024/05/14/just ... acquitted/

Just Stop Oil supporters convicted in first ever Section 7 Trial
https://juststopoil.org/2024/05/15/just ... n-7-trial/

[And of course we, the taxpayers, pay!]

[Pelican]

A couple of days with the Royal Navy

I recently attended the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference in London, where I had the privilege of engaging with various naval officers, from junior ranks to Captains and even the First Sea Lord himself.
Over a few insightful days, I gained a profound appreciation for the Royal Navy’s current and future status and why it remains a cornerstone of UK defence.

A prevailing theme at the conference was the Royal Navy’s unwavering commitment to operational readiness and modernisation despite its current challenges. The officers that I chatted with underscored the necessity of preparing for a wide range of operations, from conceptual missions to reactive platforms. This modernisation is about adding new ships and also about ensuring the fleet is equipped with cutting-edge technology to enhance both operational efficiency and combat readiness.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/a-coupl ... oyal-navy/

[Pelican]

Rounding up a week of news following the Royal Navy’s Sea Power Conference

At the First Sea Lord’s Conference held this week in London, there were several announcements made about the future of the RN. Here we reflect on the news and events of the week.

https://www.navylookout.com/rounding-up ... onference/

[Pelican]

Aircraft Carriers Underpin Royal Navy Plans To Use UAS To Help Build Maritime Mass

The UK Royal Navy (RN) is accelerating plans to build increased mass at sea, including by developing uncrewed air systems (UASs) for operation from its two Queen Elizabeth-class (QEC) aircraft carriers.

This includes deploying UAS capabilities for test and evaluation – and demonstration – when second-in-class HMS Prince of Wales leads the UK’s Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG25) deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.

Several UAS-focused programmes sit centrally within the RN’s wider maritime aviation transformation plans, Commodore Steve Bolton, the navy’s Deputy Director for Aviation Programmes and Futures – and the senior officer charged with shaping future RN aviation requirements and capability, including uncrewed systems – told SAE Media Group’s Uncrewed Maritime Systems Technology conference in Wokingham, UK on 8 May.

Three key programmes are:

A fixed-wing UAS to replace the carrier-borne, Merlin helicopter-based Crowsnest airborne early warning (AEW) system, which is due to retire at the end of the decade;

The Future Crewed Maritime Air System (FCMAS), which will assess longer-term capability options, beyond the in-service Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, for various tasks including search-and-rescue, joint personnel recovery, and maritime counter-terrorism;

The Vertical Take-Off/Landing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (VTOL ACP), which aims to develop – in collaboration with crewed aircraft and surface ships – future intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance (ISR), logistics, and strike capabilities, post-Merlin and Wildcat.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... QSglhHuZtN