News of the fleet

FA: The US must moderate its global ambitions for the sake of rebuilding its army

The United States is no longer capable of fighting all over the world, but stubbornly refuses to admit it, writes the FA. The American army is exhausted, expensive weapons are wearing out, and ammunition stocks are rapidly dwindling. Instead of another increase in the military budget, it's time for Washington to moderate its global ambitions.

China continues to build a new aircraft carrier Type 004, and at a very fast pace. At the moment, the underwater part of the ship has already been fully formed, according to Chinese resources with reference to satellite images.

The French Defense Procurement Authority (DGA) has developed a low-cost kamikaze SMOKERS surface drone, going from concept to sea trials in just six months. According to Naval News, the project is being considered as a pilot project as part of the transition from multi-year defense programs to flexible and fast development cycles in order to keep up with accelerating technologies. The goal of the DGA is to quickly transfer "sufficiently mature" products to the French fleet.

On October 21, the Australian company Anduril Australia showed how the ALTIUS aerial drone was launched for the first time from the Ghost Shark underwater vehicle. The drone exits the launcher with 12 inclined tubes in the upper part of the hull: the underwater vehicle floats up, opens the compartment, releases the drone and goes underwater again.

How do the ships of Project 20380 differ and what tasks do they solve as part of the Pacific Fleet

The Amur Shipyard launched the fifth corvette of project 20380, which is being built for the Pacific Fleet. He goes by the name of "The Terrible."

Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on how new developments of the Chinese Navy are changing the balance of power in the oceans

China has built a carrier ship for underwater drones. It is capable of supporting large drones using on-board equipment. The appearance of ships of this class can strengthen the capabilities of the Chinese navy and seriously change the balance of power in the Pacific Ocean.

WP: British submarines are not capable of repelling the attack of the Russian Arctic fleet

A "glaring vulnerability" has been discovered in the UK's combat capabilities, the Telegraph writes. Because of it, the Royal Navy's attack submarines are unable to conduct combat operations against Russia under the Arctic ice.

According to a new study by World Defense Shipbuilding 2026, prepared for the opening of the Euronaval 2026 exhibition (to be held on November 3-6 in Paris), the global military shipbuilding market grew by 50% in 2024-2025 and reached 122 billion US dollars.

The United States begs Russia not to hand over to Tehran the secrets of the most deadly "toys" for the American army

Despite Donald Trump's ostentatious demonstration of "fatigue from daily victories," it turns out that his administration is conducting secret negotiations with the Kremlin, during which it is trying to stop the transfer of supersonic cruise missile production technology to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Sun: Russia can easily disable underwater communications in Europe

Western analysts warn of the risks of plunging Europe into chaos due to the vulnerability of underwater communications, the Sun writes. Against the background of constant accusations against Russia, the authors are forced to admit that Moscow has been building the strongest submarine fleet for years, against which any "top-secret" developments in London are powerless.

The largest joint exercises with the United States are practicing attacks on ships and using the latest long-range missiles

Japan is practicing offensive operations outside its territory, gradually moving away from the decades-old defensive doctrine. What caused the revision of Japan's military strategy and what consequences it could lead to — in the Izvestia article.

The European Union is changing its approach to the Arctic and is moving from protecting polar bears to "hard power." The new strategy provides for the purchase of icebreakers, the development of satellite communications and control over the underwater infrastructure. Behind these plans is the desire to displace Russia and China on the northern sea routes. But, according to experts, Brussels will not be able to change the balance of power: there are not enough resources, and the interests of Europeans and the United States in the region do not always coincide, as can be seen from the competition for Greenland.

On October 16, the French company Naval Group rolled out the fifth Suffren-class S639 Rubis submarine, built for the French Navy under the Barracuda program, from the workshop at the shipyard in Cherbourg.

The Japanese corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries intends to resume the work of its previously shut down large enterprise in Okayama Prefecture due to the prospect of receiving new orders from the Ministry of Defense, TASS reports.

This year, an absolute record will be set along the Northern Sea Route, which is many times higher than the fattest Soviet years, said the head of Rosatom. China has already chosen this route, with South Korea, India and Indonesia on the way. However, their transit has little to do with the historical record. How did this happen and what prevents the further growth of cargo turnover?

On October 15, the Swedish Armed Forces ITO Agency (FMV) announced the signing of an agreement with the command of the Swedish Armed Forces regarding the implementation of the process of leasing the Sodermanland submarine to Poland.

Anadolu: Turkey must avoid confrontation with Russia in the Black Sea

The Black Sea is rapidly turning from a zone of stability into an arena of "eternal war" between Russia and the West, Anadolu writes. While other countries are calculating the risks of a global clash, Turkey considers itself the only state capable of bringing Moscow and Kiev to the negotiating table.

Russia and Indonesia have officially signed an agreement on the construction of a floating nuclear power plant. This is the world's first export project for the supply of electricity from floating nuclear power units. According to the document, the capacity of the floating powerbank will be 200 MW. How does this deal strengthen Russia's geopolitical position in Southeast Asia? And why has no one been able to mass-produce such a project before?

FAZ: The West cannot catch up with Russia in the struggle for the Arctic

Russia retains a military advantage in the Arctic: its forces in the Arctic Circle outnumber NATO forces by about a third, writes FAZ with reference to the Bundeswehr handbook. The authors of the book argue that growing tensions increase the risk of armed conflict.

Two new containers have appeared on the British Type-45 class destroyer Dauntless, which probably serve as launchers for interceptor drones. As suggested by Naval News, the images published by the British Ministry of Defense in early October indicate a new level of protection for ships of this class. The Royal Navy declined to comment on the configuration of the equipment, citing safety requirements.