A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
The U.S. Navy has released the long-awaited update to its 30-year shipbuilding plan. The public release of the strategy document was delayed early this year when then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper …
Washington Releases Lame-Duck Shipbuilding Plan that Requires $45 Billion in Offsets Read More
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper outlined plans to build a Navy fleet consisting of over 500 manned and unmanned ships by 2045. The planned fleet features a larger submarine component, …
Esper Charts Course for Future Navy Fleet Read More
The production of at least one corvette under a contract between Turkey and Turkmenistan appears under to be underway. Open source information, posted on Russian online forums, indicates that construction …
Turkmenistan Corvette Contract Being Implemented Read More
On April 30, the U.S. Navy announced that the Fincantieri bid for the FFG(X) program had won the competition, and it placed a $795 million order for the lead ship …
FREMM Wins U.S. Navy’s FFG(X) Competition Read More
At the moment, there are 17 cruise ships at sea, prohibited from entering port due to onboard COVID-19 infections among the passengers and crew. More significantly, these ships have more …
Could COVID-19 End Flags of Convenience? Read More
The U.S. Navy has modified its Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) acquisition plans. Last year, the service said it would begin buying two LUSVs per year starting in FY21. Those …
U.S. Navy Alters Large Unmanned Surface Vessel Plans Read More
Work on a pair of upgraded amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy is falling behind schedule. A source in the Russian shipbuilding industry told state-owned media outlet TASS on …
Russian Amphibious Assault Ship Work Behind Schedule Read More
The Russian military will test-fire a new missile from a submarine. A source told TASS Russian News Agency on March 11, 2020, that the Project 885 Yasen-class submarine Severodvinsk will …
Zircon to be Test-Fired from Russian Submarine Read More Qatar and Fincantieri have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that may see the Gulf country procure further naval vessels from the Italian firm. In a statement on January 24, 2020, …
Fincantieri Announces MoU with Qatar Read More
A keel-laying ceremony was held January 16 for the first of two Canadian Joint Support Ships being built at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. The ships are being built using modular construction …
Keel-Laying Ceremony Held for First Canadian Joint Support Ship Read More