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.

Britain is to downgrade its military posture in the Middle East next month due to a shortage of operational Royal Navy frigates, sources said last night. For the last three years, HMS Lancaster and two minehunting ships have been at the centre of Operation Kipion – a long-standing air and maritime presence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, intended to promote enduring peace and stability and ensure the safe flow of oil and trade.

The UK expects to complete procurement of an additional 12 F-35A and 15 F-35B aircraft by 2033, with the initial batch of 48 F-35Bs due for delivery by March 2026, according to statements made in the House of Lords.

Speaking during a defence question session, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence Lord Coaker confirmed that the second phase of the UK’s F-35 programme will include 27 aircraft: “12 F-35As and 15 F-35Bs, which will enable the stand-up of the third front-line squadron focused on F-35Bs.”

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 UK Royal Navy (RN) has detailed the requirements for its future Multi-Role Strike Ship (MRSS), requirements underlining the platform’s importance in providing strike capability to support amphibious operations in littoral environments.

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.

New imagery shows HMS Venturer, the first of the Royal Navy’s five Type 31 frigates, in position atop submersible barge CD01 at Rosyth ahead of her float-off.

We spoke with Leonardo representatives at the recent Combined Naval Event in Farnborough about the current status of the PROTEUS Rotary Wing Air System (RWAS) project.

Tom Sharpe: The MOD’s promise to increase spending cannot redress decades of underinvestment.

Today saw the unveiling of the much awaited Strategic Defence Review...

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.

The Royal Navy’s first-in-class Type 31 frigate, HMS Venturer, has officially rolled out from the build hall at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard — a major milestone in the £1.25 billion Inspiration-class programme.

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.