The Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) program run by the US Department of Defense has become a symbol of China-US naval competition and of the West’s advocacy for a rules-based order. Operational assertions are thrust into the limelight whenever China responds to one. And barely any US...
Commercial Mariner – Maritime Security
US firm unveils new AUV for Royal Australian Navy
US-based defence technology company Anduril Industries has completed construction of the first example of the Ghost Shark extra large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) ordered by the Australian Department of Defence (DOD). The AUV is the first of three that will be built under an initial AU$140...
US marine robotics firm unveils multi-role USV
US marine robotics company Sea Machines Robotics has unveiled a new model of unmanned surface vehicle (USV) capable of operating in various industries. The 22.9-foot (seven-metre) craft is fitted with Sea Machines’ proprietary autonomous command and control system and can be used for duties...
Keel laid for future US Navy frigate Constellation
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) of Wisconsin laid the keel of the future US Navy guided-missile frigate USS Constellation in a ceremony on Friday, April 12. Upon completion, the vessel will have a length of 496 feet (151.18 metres), a beam of 65 feet (19.81 metres), and a crew complement of 200....
US Marine Corps acquires two new combat watercraft
The US Marine Corps recently took delivery of two new combat reconnaissance watercraft in a series built by Australian-New Zealand partnership The Whiskey Project Group (TWPG). Designated as a Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft (MMRC), the vessels are capable of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, interdiction, and battlespace shaping operations. Low-observable features that make the craft […]
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US Navy takes delivery of amphibious ship Richard M. McCool Jr.
The US Navy took delivery of its newest amphibious transport dock (LPD), the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr., in a ceremony on Thursday, April 11. Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the ship honours US Navy veteran and Medal of Honor...
US boatbuilder unveils autonomous amphibious craft for military use
Louisiana-based boatbuilder Metal Shark Boats has unveiled a new type of autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) with amphibious and semi-submersible navigation capability. Metal Shark said the ASV combines multiple technologies to meet the current and near-future warfighting requirements of the US military and its allies. Merging autonomous, amphibious, and semi-submersible capabilities with the performance and seakeeping […]
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Construction begins on heavy-lift landing craft for US Navy
Austal USA has begun construction on the first vessel in a new class of utility landing craft (LCU) ordered by the US Navy. The construction of the first LCU 1710-class vessel is being undertaken in fulfillment of a US$91.5 million contract, which also covers three additional vessels and associated...
Maritime attack drone delivered to US Defense Department
A new type of autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) designed for maritime attack missions was recently procured by the US Department of Defense (DOD). Built by Florida-based unmanned systems specialist Maritime Tactical Systems (MARTAC), the 18-foot (5.5-metre) ASV was designed as a low-cost, attritable...
Four-nation maritime cooperative activity concluded in Philippines’ EEZ waters
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the US Indo-Pacific Command, the Australian Defence Force, and the Japan Self-Defence Forces successfully conducted a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) in the waters west of the Philippines on Sunday, April 7, the AFP said in a statement....