Germany delivers Israel’s biggest-ever submarine, the biggest submarine ever built in Germany since WW II

There is a certain irony to this headline! E.g. why does Germany not need large submarines for its navy?

"Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has delivered to the Israel Navy the IMS Drakon submarine - the most expensive submarine ever received by Israel, German website ‘Marine Forum’ reports. The delivery had originally been scheduled for 2025 but was delayed.

IMS Drakon is the sixth submarine procured by Israel from TKMS for its 7th fleet and the biggest built in Germany since the Second World War. Its cost is estimated at €550 million ($634 million). ...

According to international media reports, the IMS Drakon is over 70 meters long. The submarine’s size allows it to carry a larger crew as well as a wider range of equipment and weapons. Its weight exceeds 2,000 tons, making it the largest and most powerful submarine in the Middle East. According to a report by "Der Spiegel," the IMS Tanin and IMS Rahav submarines can stay underwater for up to 18 days and reach a speed of 25 knots, which is about 46.3 kilometers per hour.

Looking ahead, three more Dakar-class submarines are expected to arrive in Israel starting in 2031, at a rate of one every 18 months, replacing the Dolphin, Leviathan and Tekuma submarines, which entered service in 1999 and 2000. ..."

Germany delivers Israel’s biggest-ever submarine - Globes "The IMS Drakon is the biggest submarine built in Germany since the Second World War."

Source

India Aims For 200-Ship Navy By 2035 To Counter China & Pakistan with Molly Gambhir

Good news! India, a rising superpower!

(1074) India Aims For 200-Ship Navy By 2035 To Counter China & Pakistan | Gravitas | WION - YouTube

Israeli company Elbit eyes converting maritime vessels into drone carriers

Amazing stuff! From aircraft to drone carrier!

"Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems Ltd. ... wants to make ships into drone carriers for its Hermes 650 Spark unmanned aerial vehicles.

Elbit Systems reports that it is exploring compact unmanned aircraft launched not from a billion-dollar aircraft carrier but from converted vessels designed to carry persistent intelligence far from shore. The company says that such a vessel would be suitable, "For countries that need to monitor vast maritime spaces without building or acquiring full aircraft carrier capabilities." For such countries Elbit adds, "The question becomes straightforward: how can a naval force extend its reach without turning itself into a superpower navy?"... "

Elbit eyes converting vessels into drone carriers - Globes "The Israeli company proposes to take 9-12 Hermes 650 UAVs, and adapt existing naval platforms to operate them including the deck, control systems and mission management."

Small Deck, Long Reach (original news release) "As maritime arenas become larger, busier, and harder to secure, Elbit Systems is exploring a different kind of long reach: compact unmanned aircraft launched not from a billion-dollar aircraft carrier but from converted vessels designed to carry persistent intelligence far from shore."

With no Iran war end in sight, Germany pulls back two navy ships eyed for post-war Hormuz mission. Really!

This is what the coward European powers have been doing! The US will remember next time!

Had the European navies shown presence and determination by e.g. escorting commercial ships or by removing mines etc., the Iran war might have ended already with Iran in serious and credible peace negotiations!

"The German government is pulling back two navy ships from the Gulf of Aden sent there weeks ago on stand-by to support an eventual post-war [???] Strait of Hormuz security mission, as hope is fading in Berlin that the conflict in Iran will end anytime soon.

Defense leaders ordered the mine hunter Fulda and the support vessel Mosel to redeploy from Djibouti, a European and international naval hub at the southern mouth of the Red Sea, to the eastern Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday. The ships and crew will hold there and await further instructions about whether an international Hormuz mission will come to pass at all. ..."

With no Iran war end in sight, Germany pulls back two navy ships eyed for Hormuz mission

How India Built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant From Scratch

Recommendable! Quite a feat for India! Notice also the involvement of Israel! India, a rising superpower!

(814) How India Built INS Vikrant From Scratch | Firstpost Ripple | N18G - YouTube

Italy will not deploy naval vessels to patrol the Strait of Hormuz

Italian Prime Minister Meloni is very disappointing when it comes to Iran.

"... Italy signaled limits to its involvement in maritime security operations. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo ⁠Salvini said on Wednesday that Italy would not deploy naval vessels to patrol the area without authorization from the United Nations. ..."

Meloni: Iran's plan to charge vessels passing through Hormuz may disrupt trade | The Jerusalem Post "Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo ⁠Salvini said on Wednesday that Italy would not deploy naval vessels to patrol the area without authorization from the United Nations."

For several years China mapped ocean floors as it prepares for submarine warfare with US

Hopefully, civilian use of these maps will eventually be possible!

Officially, China used equipment from a New Zealand company for this purpose.

Caveat: I did not read the entire, very long article below.

"... In tracing this effort, Reuters examined Chinese government and university records, including journal articles and scientific studies, and analyzed more than five years of movement by 42 research vessels active in the Pacific, Indian or Arctic oceans using a ship-tracking platform built by New Zealand company Starboard Maritime Intelligence.

While the research has civilian purposes – some of the surveying covers fishing grounds or areas where China has mineral prospecting contracts – it also serves a military one, according to nine naval-warfare experts who reviewed Reuters’ findings. ..."

China maps ocean floor as it prepares for submarine warfare with US

A French Navy officer accidentally leaked the location of an aircraft carrier by logging his run on Strava

You can never be careful enough nowadays with all these networked devices! :-)

"A French Navy officer went for a run on the deck of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and uploaded his workout to Strava, inadvertently leaking the location of the nuclear-powered warship as it heads to the Middle East. ..."

A French Navy officer accidentally leaked the location of an aircraft carrier by logging his run on Strava | TechCrunch "A French Navy officer accidentally leaked the location of an aircraft carrier by logging his run on Strava"

Indonesia Plans to Turn Its Islands Into Aircraft Carriers. Here's Why with Palki Sharma

Recommendable!

(511) Indonesia Plans to Turn Its Islands Into Aircraft Carriers. Here's Why | Vantage with Palki Sharma - YouTube

Chinese Spy Ships Changed Trump's Mind on UK Chagos Island Deal

To give up Diego Garcia would be pound foolish! It is very strategically located in the Indian Ocean!

China’s first drone carrier amphibious assault ship Sichuan starts sea trials

What are the Chinese communists up to?

"China’s first drone-carrying Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, began sea trials on Friday, after its launch in December last year, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The ship is seen as a key asset for the PLA Navy’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations because of its electromagnetic catapult launch system and is often described as the world’s first drone carrier. ..."

Breaking | China’s first 076 ‘drone carrier’ amphibious assault ship Sichuan starts sea trials | South China Morning Post

China debuts world's most advanced aircraft carrier 'Fujian'

Concerning!

Why Russia is scrapping its only aircraft carrier

Very recommendable! But China and India are holding on to their similar Russian aircraft carriers.

Indonesia’s hospital ships are powerful tools of diplomacy

Good news!

According to Google search: "The United States currently has two large hospital ships: the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort."

"Within Southeast Asia, Indonesia stands out as the only country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations operating dedicated hospital ships. Its investment is thus particularly striking and highlights its approach to humanitarian readiness and regional diplomacy. ...

Then consider Britain. The Royal Navy is among the most capable globally, with nuclear-powered submarines and two modern aircraft carriers. And still, it has no hospital ship. ...

Indonesia operates three hospital ships despite facing no imminent external threat. On paper, this seems puzzling. 

Hospital ships come with strict obligations under the Geneva Conventions: they must be marked, declared and used solely for medical purposes. These requirements make them costly and politically sensitive, especially in peacetime.

Yet in Indonesia’s case, the explanation lies less in war than in disasters.

The country is incredibly disaster-prone. It has faced earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and tsunamis. ..."

Indonesia’s hospital ships are powerful tools of diplomacy | The Strategist

Ukraine Cripples $60M Russian Warship Near Novorossiysk in Drone Strike

Good news! How much will drones change warfare in the future! We will find out!

Will e.g. large, manned navy ships (like battleships, dreadnoughts, aircraft carriers) become obsolete like the knights on horses of medieval times when crossbows and bows were used?

"... At the time of the attack, the Russian vessel was carrying out electronic reconnaissance and patrolling approaches to Novorossiysk Bay, where Moscow has redeployed much of its Black Sea Fleet after repeated Ukrainian strikes in occupied Crimea. ..."

Ukraine Cripples $60M Russian Warship Near Novorossiysk in Drone Strike – HUR "The drone targeted the vessel’s bridge, destroying its navigation and communications systems and knocking out its electronic surveillance equipment."

Royal Navy tests uncrewed robotic submarine in remote operation from 10,000 miles away

Amazing stuff!

"... Under a two-year test program, Excalibur will study how such submarines can be employed in anti-submarine warfare, seabed warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. ..."

Royal Navy tests robotic submarine in remote operation "The prototype Royal Navy robotic submarine XV-Excalibur has provided a glimpse of the fleet of the future by patrolling the waters at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, England while controlled from a command center in Australia 10,000 miles (16,000 km) away."

AUKUS exercise sees Royal Navy uncrewed submarine controlled from across the world (original news release) "The Royal Navy successfully tested the ability to communicate with Experimental Vessel (XV) Excalibur, the Royal Navy’s Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV), while submerged on the other side of the world."

XV-Excalibur meeting the public in May 2025

Putin flexing his military muscles in Baltic Sea with Russian navy excercises

According to this British military expert, the Russian navy is largely outdated and like a sitting duck.

Russia’s Only Aircraft Carrier Is Falling Apart and Might Soon Be ‘Scrapped’

Russia, a paper tiger? Ask the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible!

Once a prestige object!

"After years of embarrassing failures, including fires and a sinking dry-dock, Russia is reportedly close to scrapping its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. ..."

Russia’s Only Aircraft Carrier Is Falling Apart and Might Soon Be ‘Scrapped’

Credits: Russlands einziger Flugzeugträger vor dem Aus "Acht Jahre lang hat Russland erfolglos versucht, die Admiral Kusnezow zu reparieren. In den Einsatz wird das Schiff wohl nie wieder geschickt – der Krieg in der Ukraine hat Priorität."

Russia Is Building Its Arctic Fortress in the narrow Kola Bay

Very recommendable!

Trump's $30 Billion Plan to Break China's Shipbuilding dominance with Palki Sharma

Very recommendable! India wants to become a top 10 shipbuilder by 2030.

Communist Party of China subsidies for shipbuilding