The FT reports the UK is in advanced negotiations to build new warships for Denmark and Sweden. Having just won an order for 5 Type 26 frigates for Norway, this would be a remarkable turnaround in UK warship exports with great benefits to the RN and the wider British economy.

3 September 2025

HMS Daring has been out of service for over 3,000 days — longer than it took to build her. Now, after years of refit and regeneration, she is crewing up for trials and getting ready to rejoin the fleet.

19 August 2025

The RFA’s Critical Role in RN’s Global Reach

@MtarfaL

UK seeks industry input on next phase of its ACP programme, aiming to develop uncrewed systems to operate with 4th, 5th & 6th-gen jets — and from Royal Navy carriers.

@UKDefJournal

General Atomics & Saab are pitching an airborne early warning variant of the long-endurance MQ-9B drone to the Royal Navy, intended for use aboard Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. Seems like a good option for air arms looking for an AEW&C on a budget.

@AirPower on X

Some thoughts on the transition of Stirling Castle from MV to RFA to RN Another change by necessity not choice (Inevitable) MCM capability gap RFA still in absolute clip (see Argus) RN does not have a good record of operating MVs

British F-35 Pilot On The Combined Power Of The European Lightning Force Branded Content: The bigger picture behind the UK’s relationship with the F-35 and the benefits of the growing pan-European JSF team.

The ship was purchased in 2023 and converted to support the RN’s modern minehunting operations. Today, in a ceremony at West Float Dock, Birkenhead, the White Ensign was raised for the first time as the ship officially joined the RN fleet. The 45-strong ship’s company moved aboard ahead of her deployment on operations around UK waters. This is the first time in living memory that RN personnel have taken over a ship from the RFA.

In a modest but significant step for AUKUS collaboration, the RN’s experimental extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle, XV Excalibur, will be remotely operated by Australian Navy personnel from Australia during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, while the vehicle remains in UK waters.

The UK Government has formally launched its long-term Clyde 2070 redevelopment programme, with an initial £250 million investment to upgrade His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde in Faslane.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle visited the base on Wednesday to outline the first stage of what is set to become a multi-decade, multi-billion pound programme aimed at modernising the home of the UK’s nuclear deterrent and Royal Navy Submarine Service.

Barring countries defeated in war or that ceased to exist, was there ever such a steep decline in naval power as Britain’s since the Cold War? Work by open source analysts suggests that this week the UK has had a single hunter killer submarine, seven escorts (frigates or destroyers) and two auxiliaries available for operations worldwide.

The UK’s investment in the F-35 Lightning II fleet represents the most advanced combat air capability ever fielded by the Royal Navy or RAF. In a report published by the National Audit Office today, it is clear, this formidable aircraft risks being undermined by the chronic lack of people and under-delivery of the infrastructure, weapons, and support needed to realise its full potential.

The new contract follows previous Type 26 work completed by Ferguson Marine in 2024, when the yard delivered hull sections for another ship in the class. These sections were transported to BAE Systems’ Govan facility aboard the CW-9 barge operated by Coastworks, marking the barge’s first operational deployment. That delivery demonstrated the yard’s ability to produce and move large-scale naval modules to precise standards.

The Defence Committee has urged the Ministry of Defence to ensure the Royal Navy’s future Type 83 destroyers are hardened for Arctic operations, as part of a wider strategy to respond to grey zone threats and protect critical undersea infrastructure.

In its new report Defence in the Grey Zone, the Committee warns that hostile states are increasingly targeting seabed cables and maritime infrastructure through sabotage and sub-threshold activity. It argues that the UK must be equipped to operate in the High North and Baltic Sea regions, where many of these attacks are concentrated.

Speaking at the NATO conference on 24th June, the Prime Minister announced the RAF will be equipped with F-35A jets to deliver free-fall nuclear bombs. In this article, we focus on the issues around the selection of this aircraft.

12 F-35A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) jets will be acquired instead of F-35B short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variants from the next tranche of 27 aircraft.

HMS Astute arrived in Devonport on 30th June and will soon be handed over to Babcock for her multi-million-pound Mid Life Re-Validation Period (MLRP).

15 years after commissioning, HMS Astute will begin a major refit. This marks the end of the longest first commission of any submarine in RN history. As she is fitted with the Core-H type reactor, unlike previous SSN classes, she will not require nuclear refuelling.

The new state-of-the-art shipbuilding hall, officially named the Janet Harvey Hall, will allow two Type 26 frigates to be constructed side by side for the first time fully undercover. It represents the most visible milestone in a £300 million programme to modernise and digitise BAE Systems’ operations on the river.

The Royal Navy’s next-generation warship HMS Venturer has entered the water for the first time, marking a major milestone in the UK’s sovereign shipbuilding programme and signalling progress on a £1.25 billion contract to deliver five Type 31 frigates.

The vessel was launched from Babcock’s Rosyth facility, where the company is undertaking simultaneous construction of multiple warships for the Royal Navy.

The SDR has finally been published. Here we focus on what this document and accompanying announcements say or don’t say about the future for the Royal Navy and wider defence issues.

In this case, however, the second-class option is a good idea.

Today marks another important milestone in the regeneration of the Royal Navy...

The Future Air Dominance System (FADS) will define the UK’s maritime Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and Long-Range Precision Strike (LRPS) capability from the late 2030s. Here we look at the latest thinking on this programme and at the Type 83 destroyer, which will be at the heart of this system.

Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales has led an impressive multinational carrier strike group into the Mediterranean, captured in spectacular images showing the size and strength of the UK-led force.