HMS Glasgow gets its smart gun
The first of the Type 26 frigates in the UK’s Royal Navy has been fitted with the Mk 45 naval gun by BAE Systems. The rest of the vessels in the fleet will follow suit in due course.
The US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 21, has been launched at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard and christened as the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
The LCS is designed to complete close-to-shore missions, with a reconfigurable hull that can integrate capabilities including over-the-horizon missiles, advanced electronic warfare systems and decoys, and in the future, vertical launching systems or laser weapon systems.
The vessel is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots, and is armed with Rolling Airframe Missiles and a Mark 110 gun capable of firing 220 rounds per minute.
Lockheed Martin is in full-rate production and has delivered eight ships to the US Navy. This year, Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine will begin construction on two ships, deliver two ships, complete sea trials for two ships and see three ships commissioned: LCS 13, 15 and 17.
The first of the Type 26 frigates in the UK’s Royal Navy has been fitted with the Mk 45 naval gun by BAE Systems. The rest of the vessels in the fleet will follow suit in due course.
The 212CD submarine progress is on schedule to be delivered in the first half of the 2030s, but Norway has invested in upgrading its Ula-class boats until their replacements are ready.
The HS Nearchos will join its sister ship HS Kimon in a variety of roles once it has been fully equipped and passed its sea trials. The delivery timeline for the fourth frigate remains unclear due to its late confirmation.
The service’s Navigation Plan 2024 and “Project 33” targets outlined robotic and autonomous systems as core focus areas up until 2027.
Slipway Systems were also supplied for Singapore’s eight Independence-class Littoral Mission Vessels.
The KV Hopen rounds out the Norwegian Coast Guard’s complement of offshore patrol vessels, replacing the Nordkapp class.