Latest news with #Constellation-class
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fincantieri jockeying for position in US naval shipbuilding revamp
ROME — The CEO of shipbuilder Fincantieri has claimed the Italian state- controlled yard can be a catalyst in President Donald Trump's shake-up of U.S. naval shipbuilding. Pierroberto Folgiero said Fincantieri could 'enable and support a kind of renaissance of shipbuilding in the U.S.' Speaking to analysts on Monday, the Italian manager added that Trump's executive order issued last month to boost the U.S. shipbuilding business would help Fincantieri's Marinette Marine yard in Wisconsin where it is building new - but delayed - Constellation class frigates. The order will 'debottleneck the performance of the existing defense shipyards in the US, including ours in Marinette,' he said. On April 9, Trump signed an executive order to revitalize an industry accused of lagging behind China's following reports that recent naval programs have experienced delays and cost overruns. A March report by the United States Government Accountability Office pinned blame on the U.S. Navy, stating 'the Navy's shipbuilding acquisition approach does not align with innovative practices that promote timely, predictable development and delivery of new, fully capable ships.' The report recalled how the Navy contracted Fincantieri to build Constellation-class frigates in 2020 during the first Trump administration. The vessel was based on the Fremm frigates the yard had built for the Italian Navy, and the U.S. Navy reported 'basic andfunctional designs' were 88% complete. Five years on, after changes were ordered to the design, the Navy is now reporting the design is just 70 percent complete and the program is three years behind, the report said. 'As a result of these changes, in part, the frigate now bears little resemblance to the parent design that the Navy touted as a built-in, risk reduction measure for the program in 2020,' the report stated. 'Now, in 2025, the ongoing redesign has driven weight growth at levels that exceed available tolerances. Already the Navy is considering a reduction in the frigate's speed requirement as one potential way, among others, to resolve this weight growth.' In a January interview with U.S. conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump blamed the Navy for 'playing around and tinkering and changing the design.' He claimed the frigate was 'designed on a ship that was unbelievably successful in that same class, you know, design-wise.' 'We had it down, and they made changes. They always have to make changes. You know, these guys get in there, and they think they're smart, and in many cases, unfortunately, they're not smart, and they take something and they make it worse for a lot more money. That's what they do. I mean, they spend more money to make it worse,' he said. Addressing analysts on Monday, Fincantieri CEO Folgiero said he hoped naval technology cooperation between the United States and Italy could play a part in an upgrade of the American naval shipbuilding industry. He pointed to a U.S.-Italy Joint Leaders' Statement published after an April visit to Washington by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni which stated, 'Italy will contribute to the maritime renaissance of the U.S. shipbuilding sector.' He said he hoped another Fincantieri owned yard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, could now increase its capacity and focus on icebreakers. 'There is huge attention on the new Arctic routes, which are increasingly important for the administration. A good example of technology-driven shipbuilding is icebreakers,' he said, adding that Fincantieri could leverage its existing expertise on the vessel type. He also said Fincantieri could create a repair and maintenance hub for Constellation frigates at its facility in Jacksonville, Florida.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Satellite images appear to show North Korea's new frigate, the largest warship it's built
Satellite images captured this month appear to show North Korea's new warship. Analysts identified the vessel as a guided missile frigate and said it's the country's largest warship. Its development comes as Kim Jong Un looks to modernize his naval fleet. Newly captured satellite images obtained by Business Insider show North Korea's ongoing work on what analysts assess is its largest warship. The country's leader, Kim Jong Un, has made modernizing the navy a priority. Maxar Technologies, a US commercial satellite imaging company, captured photos on April 6 of the Nampo Shipyard Complex along North Korea's west coast. The new ship was visible and positioned pierside alongside construction equipment. Analysts with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank that first published the images, identified the warship as a guided missile frigate sitting in a floating dry dock. Two cranes, parts, equipment, and supplies can be seen next to the boat. Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun, two CSIS analysts, wrote in their Beyond the Parallel blog post last week that the frigate was going through a "fitting out" process. Internal construction is completed during this phase, and equipment is installed before the warship is handed over to North Korea's navy. The analysts said that the frigate is covered with netting to limit overhead observation; North Korea has long been sensitive to foreign reconnaissance and surveillance. The netting over the new frigate prevents detailed measuring; however, the analysts assessed the warship is around 140 meters (460 feet) long, "making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea." It is around 40 feet shorter than the US Navy's Constellation-class frigates, the first of which is under construction. Other analysts have said the frigate, reportedly one of two in the class that are under construction, seems capable of carrying a vertical launch system, a collection of tubes that hold missiles. This would be a new attribute for North Korean ships, giving the warships the power to fire anti-ship, land-attack, or surface-to-air missiles. VLS cells are capabilities available in more modern navies. For instance, American Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are equipped with up to 96 launching tubes, lending them more firepower on the move. US cruisers hold even more. Another April 6 satellite image, captured by Planet Labs and obtained by BI, shows the frigate from a different angle. The new satellite images come several months after North Korean state media outlet KCTV published photos of the North Korean leader inspecting a vessel under construction in December. Kim has visited the Nampo shipyard several more times since then. It is unclear how far away the frigate is from becoming fully operational. In recent years, North Korea has been looking to build up its military and modernize its navy, especially its submarine force. The country's navy unveiled a new missile submarine two years ago. According to a 2021 US Defense Intelligence Agency report, North Korea's navy is a 60,000-person force that consists of around 400 patrol ships, 260 amphibious landing craft, 70 diesel-electric submarines, and 20 minelaying vessels. The DIA classifies North Korea's large but dated navy as "primarily a coastal force" that is unable to operate at long distances beyond the peninsula or project power outside of the region. The report said Pyongyang has naval shipyards on both coasts, but these facilities do not produce very often due to insufficient resources. CNN, which also reported the satellite images, noted that the new frigate appears to be more than twice the size of anything else in the North Korean fleet. Joseph Dempsey, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a UK think tank, said that North Korean officials have placed more emphasis on growing the shipbuilding industry while strengthening the country's navy. While there is a clear need to modernize the navy, Dempsey wrote in a January blog post, "the rationale for investing in large surface combatants is more questionable, as North Korea demonstrates little requirement or ambition for naval power projection or the creation of a credible blue-water capability." Read the original article on Business Insider
Egypt Independent
14-04-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever, new satellite photos show
Seoul, South Korea CNN — New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a surprise. The Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It's done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those weapons. But the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome the UN sanctions, analysts say. Kim Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile systems. Pictures of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's construction. An image from Korean Central Television shows leader Kim Jong Un checking the work on a new warship late last year. Korean Central TV The images in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of missiles. Analysts also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean capabilities. Despite those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making assumptions. The challenge of building warships Almost any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst. 'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he said. In an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it. 'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he said. Kim, the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality. 'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer said. After reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials. 'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he said. North Korea's aged fleet North Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 report. Though that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and small. Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he wrote. The DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval forces. But North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry them. In September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port. 'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the time. Yu Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy. A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said.
Saudi Gazette
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever
SEOUL — New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome that sanctions, analysts Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's images shown in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst.'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it.'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality.'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials.'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port.'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy.A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said. — CNN
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea is making what could be its largest, most advanced warship ever, new satellite photos show
New satellite images show what could be North Korea's biggest warship ever – possibly more than double the size of anything in leader Kim Jong Un's naval fleet. Images taken by independent satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6 show the ship under construction in the water at the Nampo shipyard on North Korea's west coast, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the capital Pyongyang. Analysts say the pictures show ongoing construction of weapons and other internal systems of the ship, which is likely a guided-missile frigate (FFG) designed to carry missiles in vertical launch tubes for use against targets on land and sea. 'The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,' an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. For comparison, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are about 505 feet long and its under-construction Constellation-class frigates will be 496 feet long. The existence of the warship is not a surprise. The Kim regime has been engaged in a rapid modernization of its armed forces, developing a range of new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States. It's done that despite United Nations sanctions that have puts strict limits on its access to the materials and technology to develop those weapons. But the closer ties with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war could be helping North Korea overcome that sanctions, analysts say. Kim Duk-ki, a retired South Korean admiral, said he thinks Moscow may be providing the technology for the frigate's missile systems. Pictures of the vessel appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year on the ruling Workers' Party's end-of-year plenary session. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship's construction. The images shown in the KCTV video show the warship could have the kind of weaponry possessed by modern navies, including vertical launch cells that could be used to fire a variety of missiles. Analysts also noted the ship seems to be set up to have phased-array radar, which can track threats and targets more quickly and accurately than previously displayed North Korean capabilities. Despite those indications of advanced warfighting abilities, analysts urged caution in making assumptions. Almost any shipbuilder can get the hull and propulsion systems right, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and Hawaii-based analyst. 'However, modern warships represent an integration challenge of communications, electronics, weapons, and both electronic and acoustic sensor technologies' that is not so easily achieved, he said. In an interview with CNN in March, South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, a member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, questioned whether Pyongyang has the technical ability to build an advanced warship, or the infrastructure to support it. 'Operating such a big military warship takes significant amount of budget. They not only have to build a warship, but make a team that would operate it, and it costs to operate it including the equipment and fuel. Also, one huge warship cannot go out on its own. So the question is, can North Korea afford the cost?' he said. Kim, the retired South Korean admiral, was cautious on not underestimating what the final product may look like, especially its lethality. 'If North Korea equips the new frigate with the hypersonic ballistic missile it claimed to have successfully tested in January, that will cause a game changing impact in the regional security,' the former naval officer said. After reviewing the satellite images for CNN, Schuster said it's likely a year or more of work remains before the new North Korean warship can begin sea trials. 'This ship's construction is being delayed by the lack of the superstructure, sensor and weapons systems intended for installation,' he said. North Korea's navy has about 400 patrol combatants and 70 submarines, according to the most recent estimate from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a 2021 report. Though that's a large number of vessels, most of them are old and small. Joseph Dempsey, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in a January blog post that Pyongyang has only two principal surface combatants. Those Najin-class frigates – 1,600-ton warships dating to the early 1970s – are obsolete, he wrote. The DIA report said the North Korean navy would largely be reduced to coastal defense in any conflict with South Korea or the United States, both of which have vastly superior naval forces. But North Korean leader Kim has been pushing to modernize his naval fleet. It is also developing submarine-launched missiles and the subs to carry them. In September, Kim inspected the site for a new naval port. 'Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored at the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task,' he said at the time. Yu Yong-won, a South Korean lawmaker, said the ship under construction at the Nampo yard is only one example of Kim trying to modernize his navy. A nuclear-powered submarine is under construction at a shipyard in the North Korean port of Sinpo and another frigate or destroyer is in the works in Chongjin, Yu said.
