HMS Kent is currently operating in the Barents Sea with US Navy warships conducting maritime security operations. This is a significant deployment as officially the US Navy says it has not sent surface ships to the area since the mid-1980s. The task group comprises three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Donald Cook, USS Porter, USS Roosevelt| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
Already one of the finest heavyweight torpedoes in the world, the programme to further enhance the accuracy and lethality of Spearfish is now complete. After extensive development and trials, the weapon has now been declared operational by the RN. The Spearfish upgrade project began in 2010 to ensure the primary conventional weapon of the submarine| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
A lightweight towed array sonar developed by SEA has been successfully integrated and trialled with the Manta XLUUV. This combination of technologies has significant implications for anti-submarine warfare, seabed warfare and underwater surveillance capabilities. The 9-metre Manta uncrewed submersible built by MSubs in 2020 has been conducting a series of trials and experiments off Plymouth,| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
The RN has released a short video detailing plans for its first XLUAV, acquired under project CETUS, which has now been launched and named XV Excalibur. Here we summarise the presentation and the future of the programme. Tracking adversary submarines in the North Atlantic remains one of the RN’s most pressing operational imperatives. To achieve| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
In this guest article, David O’Sullivan considers the challenges of the RN's project CABOT that aims to create an anti-submarine barrier in the North Atlantic based predominantly on autonomous platforms. Project CABOT builds on the RN's previous study outputs under Project CHARYBDIS and the UK-led NATO ASW Barrier Smart Defence initiative. Designed to boost maritime| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
In development since 2018, the Kingfisher munition is a novel and low-cost solution for warships developed by BAE Systems to counter underwater threats, particularly proliferating UUVs. Here we look at this weapon in detail and consider its potential selection by the Royal Navy. Background Kingfisher is a naval gun-launched modular carrier system. This allows a| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
In this guest article, Tom Rooney considers the impact of uncrewed systems and artificial intelligence on the undersea battle. In the quiet expanse of the North Atlantic, an old strategic contest is being redrawn. Once the domain of Cold War cat-and-mouse games, the world of submarines has re-emerged as a fulcrum of 21st-century power politics.| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
The RN is unlikely to see an increase in its major anti-submarine platforms in the near future. Recognising the danger posed by the continually evolving underwater threat, it has launched ASW Spearhead, an initiative to maximise the effectiveness of the assets its already has. There will be some new hardware, in the form of new| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
In this guest article, Kamil Sadowski considers how navies may employ surface platforms to counter the evolving threat from UUVs. There are many Autonomous/Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) programs either in development or available today for both military and non-military applications. At present the majority of operational naval UUVs are employed in mine warfare or hydrographic| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
Undersea data cables are critical to the internet upon which the modern world has come to depend. This hidden network forms the backbone of global communications but is surprisingly vulnerable to interference by hostile actors. Protecting this infrastructure may become an increasingly important remit for the Royal Navy. Background The first undersea cables were telegraph| Navy Lookout - Independent Royal Navy news and analysis
