The largest waterway intersection in Europe is located north of Magdeburg and has connected the Mittelland Canal across the Elbe with the Elbe-Havel Canal since 2003. As part of the German Unity Transport Project, the canal bridge has become an important element of the East-West link for shipping. The construction time was only a short five years. The 918 metre...
On 12 March 2025, the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate "De Ruyter" test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile off the coast of Norfolk/Virginia before the missile system is put into service in the Netherlands. With this test, the navy is gathering the necessary information to deploy the Tomahawks from the four air defence and commando frigates...
Chinese armed forces are increasingly appearing in the vicinity of the island republic of Taiwan. The CIA and Pentagon are warning of an imminent surprise attack. According to the CIA, Xi Jinping is said to have instructed the Chinese People's Liberation Forces to develop the capability to take Taiwan by 2027. Leading US officers expect that China will soon be able to...
The crude oil tanker "Koala" (Suezmax, 164,000 DWT), loaded with around 130,000 tonnes of heavy oil, has partially sunk after an explosion on board in the important Russian Baltic Sea oil port of Ust-Luga. This was reported by Russian media in February. The 24 crew members were evacuated unharmed. The tanker partially sank to the bottom due to a water ingress in the engine room. A...
In mid-January, the USS John F. Kennedy cast off for her final voyage. After 39 years of service and almost two decades in retirement, only the scrapping yard awaits the once proud ship. The John F. Kennedy was put into service on 7 September 1968, the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier to...
New coalition agreement fulfils many of the recently articulated expectations of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie e.V. (BDSV) In recent months, the BDSV had formulated clearly defined prerequisites for a further increase in industrial capacities in favour of rapid equipping of the Bundeswehr with its "BDSV 10". Many of these expectations are being...
Training mission as a NATO deterrent? NATO appears to want to increase its deterrence in south-east Europe: As the headquarters of the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO, Oeiras/Portugal) reported via its social media channels last weekend, modern Italian F-35B fighter jets had recently carried out a "training mission" over the Black Sea in...
So now it's raining money. The latest budget decisions in the German Bundestag provide the armed forces, in our case the navy, with a unique opportunity to rapidly improve their operational capability. However, instead of uncritically pouring this blessing into the industry's coffers, the additional funds must be used wisely and in a targeted manner. By 2029...
According to press releases issued by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence and the Finnish Navy Alutech on 7 April 2025, Vilnius is acquiring two multi-purpose operational boats worth 22 million euros. The units, developed on the basis of the Watercat M18, are intended for the Lithuanian Navy and are to be assigned to the coastal defence battalion. Latvia has also already formally...
Seafaring! A profession with adventure, hardship and privation. Not many young people dream of going to sea. This job description seems too far removed from everyday life, life on the high seas too intangible. No office job, no work-life balance - but plenty of responsibility, team spirit and prospects. Now in the ZDFmediathek: "On...
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