All articles tagged with #naval warfare
Mark Urban argues that Washington’s reliance on unmanned systems—from aerial Reapers to underwater Dive-LD and Saildrone craft—has quietly transformed operations in the Strait of Hormuz, enabling more ships to pass with reduced risk to personnel, while Iran’s defenses and captured tech illuminate a shifting maritime battlefield and potential disruption of legacy defense contractors.
Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US destroyer and an aircraft carrier, with Tehran claiming damage that CENTCOM says did not occur. The episode underscores Iran’s focus on naval aviation as the US center of gravity in the conflict and its effort to complicate carrier operations, potentially aided by Chinese and Russian assistance, though Iran reportedly lacks a full reconnaissance–strike complex to seriously jeopardize a carrier battlegroup. Building the necessary targeting and defense infrastructure is extremely expensive. The US retaliated by striking Iranian Revolutionary Guard tankers, and the broader takeaway is that naval power—and the protection of carriers—has become central to the conflict.
Satellite imagery confirms Ukrainian drone and missile strikes damaged at least four ships in Novorossiysk, including two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, with hits on their forward VLS banks likely crippling their missiles; a Buyan-M corvette and a Project 22160 patrol ship were also damaged, and onshore facilities including the grain terminal and an oil terminal tanker were hit, signaling a major blow to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and resupply routes.
Battlefield 6’s 1.4.1.0 update launches July 21 with Season 4: Pacific Front, introducing naval warfare and the return of two-seat fixed-wing jets (F-18/Super Hornet and F-14 Tomcat) for the first time since 2005’s Battlefield 2. A Top Gun crossover arrives August 18, featuring three characters voiced by their original actors and Top Gun cosmetics. The update also adds Carrier Strike (air-sea-ground combat), new maps Tsuru Reef and Wake Island (Wake Island arrives in August), and new boats, weapons, and attachments, with a phased rollout through September.”,
Battlefield 6's Season 4 trailer reveals naval warfare with two new watercraft (RCB-90 Patrol Boat and NSW RHIB), introduces the largest map Tsuru Reef (followed by Wake Island in Phase 2), brings back two-seat jets (F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-14 Tomcat) that could enable a gunner, and teases a Top Gun crossover.
During the Valiant Shield exercise (June 22–July 1), a JMSDF submarine fired a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau (LPD-10), sinking it about 200 nautical miles off the Mariana Islands. The Juneau, commissioned in 1969 and decommissioned in 2008, was used as a SINKEX target to train joint forces across sea, air, space, land and cyberspace; extensive environmental cleanup and safety checks were completed prior to sinking. Valiant Shield is a biennial multinational drill involving the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to build real-world maritime proficiency.
Ukraine’s HUR says its Prymary unit hit two Russian landing ships and a Podlyot-K1 radar in Sevastopol Bay, putting the vessels out of action and destroying the radar, with a video of the strikes released by Kyiv but no independent verification available and Moscow offering no immediate comment.
Battlefield 6 is lining up a packed 2026 roadmap: Season 3 brings two reimagined maps—Railway to Golmund (BF4) and Cairo Bazaar (BF3)—along with the start of Ranked Play in Redsec’s Battle Royale Quads and a Battle Royale Solos mode. Season 4 adds naval warfare, aircraft carriers, new naval vehicles, and a Dynamic Wave System, plus two expansive maps (Wake Island remastered and the gigantic Tsuru Reef) and features like Custom Lobbies and a spectator mode. Season 5 is set to add three new maps and introduce Proximity Chat and Global Leaderboards, plus map reworks and, notably, a Server Browser, signaling a strong shift toward player feedback and accessibility.”,
A leaked Battlefield 6 2026 roadmap reportedly shows Season 3 adding 2 maps (Railway to Golmud, Cairo Bazar), Season 4 adding 2 maps (Tsuru Reef, Wake Island), and Season 5 adding 3 maps (content classified), plus features like Proximity Chat, Platoons, Server Browser, and MP leaderboards; Naval Warfare and Spectator Mode are also on the horizon, with content reportedly tested in Battlefield Labs and an embargo lifting today at 15:00 UTC.
The United States has stepped up air and sea operations against Iran's drones and fast-attack vessels to clear the Strait of Hormuz, with A-10 Warthogs hunting boats and Apache gunships supporting, while about 2,200 Marines on three ships head toward the Gulf to help reopen the waterway and safeguard global shipping and oil markets.
Peace-time transit through the Strait of Hormuz is a universal right as an international strait, but in armed conflict the San Remo Manual governs naval warfare: neutral ships may transit with due regard, belligerents must not target neutrals, and may search for contraband; convoys of merchant ships escorted by warships can be risky because cargo vessels may become targets if tied to belligerent ships, and a state's neutral status can shift if its actions pull it into the conflict (as with Australia’s stance potentially affecting its neutrality).
A US Navy attack submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka after MILAN 2026, killing 87 sailors and signaling a major escalation between the US and Iran. The strike tests India’s neutrality, as New Delhi responds cautiously to the incident while domestic critics urge stronger leadership and a clearer stance in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for a new 'Trump-class' battleship, claiming it would be highly powerful, but experts argue that battleships are outdated, extremely costly, and unlikely to be built or effective in modern naval warfare, making the project more of a prestige gesture than a strategic necessity.
A Chinese cargo ship has been modified to carry containerized missile launchers, sensors, and defense systems, suggesting China is exploring turning commercial vessels into armed surface combatants, potentially impacting naval power dynamics. The vessel features a large vertical launch system, radar, CIWS, and decoys, raising questions about its operational capabilities and purpose, whether as a proof of concept or a real deployment. This development highlights China's efforts to leverage its vast commercial fleet for military advantage amid ongoing naval competition.
A Chinese cargo ship has been spotted equipped with containerized missile launchers, sensors, and defense systems, suggesting a potential shift towards converting commercial vessels into armed surface combatants, which could impact naval power dynamics. The vessel features a significant number of vertical launch cells, radar, and CIWS, raising questions about its operational capabilities and strategic implications.