The United Kingdom is sending two minehunter ships to Ukraine. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce Ukraine’s procurement of Sandown-class vessels from the Royal Navy on Monday. The U.K. is part of a new Maritime Capability Coalition established to increase Ukraine’s capability to operate at sea. The coalition, which includes Norway, also intends...
Tag: Royal Navy
UK Awards $514M Contracts to Enhance Sea Viper Air Defence System on Warships
The United Kingdom is making upgrades to the Royal Navy’s missiles to defeat drone threats in the Red Sea. The Sea Viper air defense system will receive a new warhead and a software update to give it the capability to destroy ballistic missile threats. The U.K. government has awarded three contracts valued at $514 million to MBDA...
UK Awards Thales $2.3B Contract to Boost Royal Navy’s Readiness
French electronic defense contractor Thales has secured a $2.3 billion, 15-year contract to keep the British Royal Navy’s fleet at sea longer. The company said the new Maritime Sensor Enhancement Team contract, which started Jan. 1, responds to the rising need to boost the availability of RN ships and submarines amid growing uncertainties in the...
BAE Systems Starts Construction on New Shipbuilding Facility in Glasgow
BAE Systems Maritime has broken ground on a new shipbuilding facility at the Govan shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland. McLaughlin & Harvey is leading the construction work. The new facility will support the company’s development of five Type 26 frigates under a $5.09 billion contract the U.K. Ministry of Defence awarded in 2022. The ship build...
QinetiQ Appoints William Blamey as UK Defense Interim Chief Executive
QinetiQ, headquartered in Hampshire, London, has appointed William Blamey as interim chief executive for the defense sector. In his new role, Blamey will lead the defense technology company’s efforts to meet the needs of the U.K. Ministry of Defence and international allies. Blamey, who announced his transition to the new role on LinkedIn, is an...
UK to Boost Industry Partnerships to Accelerate Drone Development
The United Kingdom seeks to strengthen its partnership with the unmanned aerial system industry as part of its new strategy to provide its armed forces with drone capabilities in an accelerated manner. Under the U.K. Defence Drone Strategy, the British government will invest $5.71 billion over the next decade to speed up the experimentation, testing...