Naval Technology
 
 

The concept of using high-energy and directed lasers for naval military applications is gathering pace among the world’s superpowers. If successfully developed and deployed, laser weapon systems might be regarded as a “game-changer” for defending Navy surface ships against enemy missiles and UAVs.

The concept of using high-energy and directed lasers for naval military applications is gathering pace among the world’s superpowers. If successfully developed and deployed, laser weapon systems might be regarded as a “game-changer” for defending Navy surface ships against enemy missiles and UAVs.

The concept of using high-energy and directed lasers for naval military applications is gathering pace among the world’s superpowers. If successfully developed and deployed, laser weapon systems might be regarded as a “game-changer” for defending Navy surface ships against enemy missiles and UAVs.

According to information published by the Sea Power Magazine website on August 12, 2020, the project for the construction of the first new Columbia ballistic missile will start for the Fiscal Year 2021. The Columbia (SSBN-826) class is a program to design and build a class of 12 new ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the Navy’s current force of 14 agings Ohio-class SSBNs.

Naval frontline Su-24M bombers are being equipped with SVP-24 Gefest system which was tested by Russian aircraft in Syria. Su-24M of the 43rd naval air regiment in Crimea were the first to receive the system which allows unguided weapons to hit small targets. Experts believe the pilots will be able to interact with the Ground Forces, commandos and Airborne Forces, the Izvestia daily writes.

According to information released by the Russian Press Agency TASS on July 20, 2020, Russia’s Burevestnik scientific-and-research Institute (a subsidiary of Rostec’s concern Uralvagonzavod) has developed a marinized variant of the AU-220M 57 mm remotely operated weapon station (ROWS), Director General of Burevestnik Georgy Zakammenyh told TASS on July 20, 2020.

It has been recently reported that the Russian Defense Ministry began drafting the crew matrix for universal amphibious assault ships of project 23900. They are often called Russian Mistral. The construction of the landing ships is accompanied by the reform of marines. New units are formed in marine brigades and regiments and modern arms and hardware are supplied, the Independent Military Review writes.

According to pictures released by the China Defense Blog on June 20, 2020, the Chinese Navy has commissioned Z-20F also called Z-20J by other Chinese sources, a naval version of the Chinese-made Harbin Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter produced by the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). A picture of the naval version of the Z-20 was unveiled on the Twitter account of Mike Yeo on October 14, 2019. 

The Kazan Yasen-M-class SSGN of project 885M is preparing for acceptance trials in autumn. It is the first serial fourth-generation submarine of upgraded project 885M. It will fire hypersonic Tsirkon missiles which the navymen are actively testing. Experts said acceptance trials are the most important stage of testing all equipment, mechanisms and arms. The submarine is ready for combat duty after the trials, the Izvestia daily writes.

L3Harris Technologies unveils its new man-portable Iver4 580 unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). The new Iver4 580 is the second vehicle in the Iver4 family of next-generation UUVs to address a wide variety of customer missions, including survey; multi-domain intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; anti-submarine warfare; seabed warfare and mine warfare.

Forty-six warships and submarines from all Russian fleets will participate in the Navy parade to be held on July 26 in St. Petersburg and Kronshtadt. They include the Orel nuclear submarine of project 949A, the Admiral Kasatonov frigate of project 22350, the Vice-Admiral Kulakov big antisubmarine ship of project 1155. An artillery ship of project 21630 will arrive from the Caspian Sea. It is still to be clarified whether the Gremyashchy latest corvette and the Yakov Balyaev minesweeper will participate.

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