News of the fleet

The United States is decommissioning the last Avenger-type minesweepers. In September 2025, while in Bahrain, 4 ships of this project were decommissioned. The other day, they were spotted on the heavy transport vessel M/V Seaway Hawk, which was taking them to Philadelphia for disposal.

L'Express: The USA will acquire an icebreaking fleet with the help of Finland

Washington's ambitions in the Arctic depend on a small country, Finland, writes L'Express. Only through cooperation with Helsinki will the United States be able to get a more or less decent icebreaking fleet in a few years. In the meantime, they don't have it at all.

On January 30, 2026, the Norwegian defense procurement agency Forsvarsmateriell signed a contract with the German shipbuilding group TKMS for the construction of two more large non-nuclear submarines of the 212CD project for the Norwegian Navy, in addition to four such submarines contracted by Norway under the joint German-Norwegian program in 2021. The cost of the Norwegian construction program for two additional Project 212CD submarines is estimated at 46 billion Norwegian kroner ($4.6 billion).

The Portuguese Navy is awaiting the completion of work on the NRP D. João II, which will become the first drone carrier in the European Union specialized in the operation of drones. Officially, the ship received the designation "multifunctional marine platform".

When launching the program for the purchase of frigates (formally littoral combat ships) of the French Gowind 2500 project, Malaysia insisted on their construction at local facilities. Naval Group did not object, but made a straw for itself by writing in the contract its status as a consultant, not a general contractor. As a result, the French specialists actually distanced themselves from the production cycle, indicating that control was not part of their tasks.

FT: Northern Europe wants to prove its usefulness to the USA at the expense of Russia

Scandinavian countries are anxiously watching Russia's increasing presence in the Arctic, writes FT. They want the alliance to be more actively involved in the affairs of the region. Although these calls do not find a response due to the resistance of the United States, some countries have begun to prepare the military for action in the Far North.

Boris Rozhin — about how trust was lost and whether it is worth burying the treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States on measures for further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms

15 years ago, on January 28, the law "On Ratification of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States on Measures for Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms" was signed, which is colloquially known as START-3. Dmitry Medvedev— then President of Russia and now Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, signed the law.

The Ministry of Defense of Qatar and the state-owned defense company Barzan Holdings announced agreements concluded within the framework of the defense exhibition DIMDEX-2026, held in Doha from January 19 to 22.

After the ambitious statement by US President Donald Trump about plans to build a flotilla of battleships, European military analysts decided to intercept the baton, suggesting the appearance of a hypothetical ship of a similar type, but based on European technologies, calling it Republique.

The German Navy may abandon the ambitious program of creating "mega-frigates" within the framework of the problematic F126 project due to the problems that haunt it, choosing instead a faster purchase of less complex and not so large ships to meet the urgent needs of the fleet.

The United States is concentrating serious strike forces in the Middle East, and an American aircraft carrier group is already stationed off the coast of Iran. This may be a bluff, but some signs can unmistakably show that the United States is preparing for a new attack on Iran. What scenarios can it occur under?

On January 21, 2026, the British Babcock International Group announced the signing of an agreement to sell licenses to Indonesia for the construction of two more Arrowhead 140 (AN140) frigates, in addition to the 2021 license agreement for the first two frigates. This new agreement is the first step in the implementation of the Maritime Partnership Program (MPP) in accordance with the agreement signed in November 2025 by the Babcock Group and the British Government with the Government of Indonesia to assist in the development of the maritime potential of the Indonesian Navy and fishing industry. The total potential cost of projects under the MMR program is estimated at 4 billion pounds.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the nuclear icebreaker Leader is under active construction and will be ready by 2030. A 120 MW vessel on shafts is being built at the Zvezda shipyard according to schedule. The words of the head of the Russian Federation drew attention in the Western press.:

Against the background of growing tensions in relations with Turkey, which is experiencing a rise in military power, Greece is striving to modernize its armed forces at an accelerated pace. One of the main directions is the renewal of the ship's personnel.

The "Golden Dome" over the largest island on the planet will allow the Pentagon to intercept missiles over the Arctic and track the Northern Fleet

The United States wants to secure the right to indefinite military control over Greenland, said US President Donald Trump.

The Chinese navy is actively developing and preparing to challenge the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. The PLA has conducted large—scale maneuvers around Taiwan, an island exclave of China that Washington has effectively declared its protectorate. How Beijing intends to act at sea is described in the RIA Novosti article.

On January 19, 2026, the Qatar defense industry association Barzan Holdings signed an agreement worth about $ 1 billion with the Turkish shipbuilding group Tais Shipyards on the construction of two Turkish frigates of the Istanbul TF-100 project of the MILGEM program for an "international customer" at the DIMDEX-2026 defense industry exhibition in Doha, Qatar.

This day also marked the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Peter the Great Naval Institute in St. Petersburg

Navigator's Day was celebrated by specialists of the navigation service in St. Petersburg on the 325th anniversary of the holiday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The length of the ship is 230.8 m, width 32 m, draft 6.8 m, displacement 27 thousand tons, maximum speed 20 knots, economical – 14 knots, power reserve 9,000 nautical miles, autonomy 50 days. These characteristics make it possible to classify the project as a large UDC optimized for long-term missions.

Steel cutting for the frigate Mariz-e-Barros has begun at the Brazilian shipyard TKMS Estaleiro Brasil Sul in Italy. According to Naval Today, this event marks the transition to full-scale production of Tamandare-class ships for the Brazilian Navy, as the company is simultaneously building all four ordered frigates.