DefenceTalkA carrier-borne aviation force has been formally established as part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, military sources said on Friday. The forming of the force, approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), demonstrates that the development of China’s aircraft carriers has entered a new phase, the sources said. The force comprises carrier-borne fighter […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinas-navy-forms-first-carrier-borne-jet-force-47733/

DefenceTalkHelicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 became the first composite expeditionary helicopter squadron to include both the world’s most technologically advanced helicopter; the MH-60R Seahawk and the MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Take-off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV); during an establishment ceremony today on Naval Air Station North Island. As the Navy’s first operational […]https://www.defencetalk.com/navys-first-squadron-to-operate-manned-and-unmanned-aircraft-47696/

DefenceTalkChina sees American sea power in East Asian waters as threatening to itself, its regional aspirations, and possibly its global access. So it is mounting a challenge with anti-ship missiles, submarines, and a growing fleet of its own. However, the United States will not relinquish its sea power, which it sees as needed to maintain […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sea-power-and-american-interests-in-the-western-pacific-47639/

DefenceTalkIn the wake of the recent announcement that laser weapons will be put on U.S. Navy ships, the need for reliable, high-voltage shipboard power has become a matter of national security, officials said at this week’s Electric Ship Technologies Symposium outside Washington, D.C. The Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored event featured some of the world’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lasers-bring-new-urgency-to-electric-power-research-47616/

DefenceTalkThe FREMM frigate built for the Royal Moroccan Navy put to sea for the first time on 17 April. This key milestone marks the launch of sea trials, which will be conducted over the next few weeks off the Brittany coast. The ship will be delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy at the end of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dcns-begins-sea-trials-with-fremm-frigate-for-moroccan-navy-47514/

DefenceTalkCiting a series of technological breakthroughs, Navy leaders announced plans Apr. 8 at the Sea-Air-Space exposition to deploy for the first time a solid-state laser aboard a ship in fiscal year 2014. “Our directed energy initiatives, and specifically the solid-state laser, are among our highest priority science and technology programs. The solid-state laser program is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/navy-leaders-announce-plans-for-deploying-cost-saving-laser-technology-47414/

DefenceTalkThe Brazilian Navy’s latest BAE Systems built warship has set sail for the first time to be put through her paces on an extensive programme of sea trials off the UK coast. ARAGUARI, the third Ocean Patrol Vessel in the Amazonas Class, sailed out of Portsmouth this morning with her BAE Systems crew and Brazilian […]https://www.defencetalk.com/uk-welcomes-250th-brazilian-navy-sailor-for-maiden-sea-trials-47400/

DefenceTalkHMS Edinburgh, the Royal Navy’s last remaining Type 42 destroyer, returned to Portsmouth from her final deployment last week. The 30-year-old warship has spent the past 6 months patrolling the Atlantic. She will decommission in June, having clocked up 793,345 miles, as the old Type 42 destroyers make way for the new Type 45s . […]https://www.defencetalk.com/last-type-42-destroyer-returns-from-final-deployment-47344/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin has recently completed a series of successful demonstrations of its Gyrocam 15-inch Dual Sensor and 15-inch Triple Sensor in a realistic military maritime environment. The demonstration was conducted as part of a cooperative research and development effort with the Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program. That program was established to help accelerate the delivery of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lockheed-martin-demonstrates-gyrocam-sensor-maritime-capability-with-us-navy-47336/

DefenceTalkTaiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou on Saturday unveiled two new ships that will join the patrol in waters off disputed islands in the East China Sea at the centre of a regional territorial row. “We will gradually build up our capabilities in the sea to enforce the law, to conduct rescue missions and protect fishermen,” Ma […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-adds-new-ships-to-patrol-disputed-islands-47325/