Category: Security policy

Russian Navy puts world's largest submarine into service

On Friday, 8 July 2022, the "Belgorod" (project 09852) was handed over to the Russian Navy. The ceremonial signing of the acceptance protocol and the handover, during which the St Andrew's flag is hoisted in accordance with Russian procedure, took place at the Sevmash shipyard (Severodvinsk/Arkhangelsk). According to a press release from the shipyard, the ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Defence, the Navy, the administrations of the Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk oblasts and representatives of the shipbuilding industry. Launched in 1992 as one of the Oscar II type boats (project 949B), it took twenty years before delivery. In 2000, after the disaster with the predecessor boat K-141 "Kursk"...

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Harbingers of the Russian fleet's birthday

On the morning of 7 July 2022, the Russian frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" (Hull number 454) passed through the Fehmarnbelt. The ship, which belongs to the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, is expected to take part in the Russian Navy's naval parade in Kronstadt/St. Petersburg. Remarkably, the 3D surveillance radar FURKE rotated. This seems unusual, as in the past Russian units only used their navigation radar systems for such passages. The "Admiral Gorshkov" bears the symbol of the Russian war against Ukraine, the letter Z on the funnel. Construction programme Project 22350 The 135-metre-long, 5,400-tonne displacement unit is a new Russian class of multi-purpose frigate, designed as a successor to the Krivak-class...

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EU initiative: New export routes for Ukrainian grain

An online article in the EU magazine euractiv takes a look at Ukraine's faltering grain exports and underpins it with very catchy graphics. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country exported 4 to 5 million tonnes of grain per month, primarily to countries in Africa and the Middle East. 90 % of this trade passed through the harbours of the Black Sea. EU "Solidarity Lanes" initiative With the blockade of the Ukrainian coast and access to ports on the internal waterways, new land routes via neighbouring European countries must be established before these foodstuffs can be shipped by sea to the destination countries. The process of finding alternative...

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US support for Ukraine: 23 small boats on the delivery list

In order to support Ukraine's ability to better control its coastline, waterways and ports and protect them against the Russian invasion, the USA is supplying a total of 23 Metal Shark aluminium small boats (Franklin and Jeanerette, Louisiana) at short notice. These will probably be 6 Defiant-45 boats, 14 Defiant-38 boats with a centre console or some with a cockpit and 3 Fearless-36 high-speed interceptor boats. Customised The boats are said to have been in negotiations with Kiev since 2019 and are therefore customised for Ukraine's needs. However, the overall programme has been significantly accelerated since the Russian invasion. The...

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RIMPAC 2022: SeaGuardian drone with ELINT and COMINT capabilities deployed for the first time

The US manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), is continuously expanding the range of applications for its drones. As the company writes in a press release, it has successfully conducted a series of flight tests with sensors for electronic intelligence (ELINT), communications intelligence (COMINT) and Link-16 payload in California in preparation for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercise. According to the announcement, the sensors were integrated by GA-ASI into the MQ-9B SeaGuardian unmanned aerial vehicle, which is to be deployed on RIMPAC 22. Until now, the company's drones were primarily designed for operations over land. Recently, GA-ASI has also been working on possible applications...

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