Category: Technology

The turtle fleet

North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un is organising his armed forces ever more strategically. North Korea's navy is gearing up for an asymmetric war. At the end of the 16th century, Korea under Admiral Yi Sun-Sin deployed manoeuvrable, heavily armed ships that were also "armoured" with a bronze shield to successfully fend off various offensives by the much larger Japanese fleet. Due to their resilience, these units were known as "turtle ships". In the 21st century, North Korea is now also relying on an asymmetric fleet to offset the superiority of the much stronger fleets of South Korea, Japan and the USA. Pyongyang maintains much greater secrecy regarding its armed forces than Russia or China. Western...

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Integrated Marine Rescue Centre for the EGV BERLIN

The BERLIN task force provider (EGV) will be equipped with an integrated Marine Rescue Centre (i-Merz). The day after the budget committee gave its approval at the end of March, the Vice President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), Annette Lehnigk-Emden, and the Managing Director of German Naval Yards Kiel, Rino Brugge, signed the contract for the construction and integration of the i-Merz. According to the Ministry of Defence, the contract is worth around 42 million euros. Construction of the i-Merz is to begin shortly and integration is to be completed by mid-2024. The i-Merz is an emergency medical facility...

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More power, please!

The American armed forces are lagging behind the Russians in the development of hypersonic weapons. A development programme has now been initiated for the Navy's fighter-bombers. On 27 March, the US Navy commissioned rival companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to develop an aircraft carrier-capable hypersonic cruise missile to combat sea targets. The development programme is called Hypersonic Air-Launched Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare Weapon, or Halo for short. Halo is not to be deployed directly from ships, but from carrier-based fighter aircraft, in particular the F/A-18E/F. The Navy expects Halo to be too large to be carried in the internal armoury of the F-35C fighter-bomber. Although this...

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From 50 to 66

To mark its 175th birthday, the German Navy is giving itself a new target image. However, many good ideas stand in the way of just as many problems. In the 175th anniversary year of the German Navy, the inspector of the navy is looking ahead with the publication of its future structure. Vice Admiral Jan C. Kaack said in an interview with the Kieler Nachrichten newspaper: "We want to open up a big bouquet in the 2035+ vision." He is not talking about flagpoles. Rather, he wants the navy to remain fit for the future. All of this is being done in view of the dramatic changes since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. The focus is on returning to the national...

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Fully digital

In the face of multiple threats, Japan is massively arming its navy. The stealth frigates of the Mogami class are of central importance. With over 6800 islands and a coastline of 29,751 kilometres, Japan is one of the largest maritime nations. In addition to the four main islands, smaller island groups in particular ensure that Japan, with a land area of 380,000 square kilometres, has more than 430,000 square kilometres of territorial waters and an exclusive economic zone ten times the size of its land area. In view of Japan's dependence on imports of raw materials, exports of goods and fishing rights, the island nation therefore relies on powerful naval forces, the Japan Maritime Force, for maritime security issues.

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