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Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
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Asian navies eye undersea drones to find hidden infrastructure threats
SINGAPORE — Governments and militaries in Southeast Asia are turning to autonomous underwater tech to monitor subsea cables after a series of damaged infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and recently, in sea lanes surrounding Taiwan. 'We are getting a lot of interest for monitoring underwater infrastructure,' Verineia Codrean, Strategic Alliances and Civilian Affairs officer for German firm Euroatlas, told Defense News. 'It seems that a lot of operators want to have this awareness of what is happening — they want to be aware of what actors are in the water, what type of infrastructure you have underwater, and is something happening near that infrastructure,' Codrean explained. In a region where military modernization is still playing catch up amid increasing geopolitical tension, militaries want cost-efficient ways to keep an eye on vast underwater domains, ensure the safety of sailors, and resolve decreasing numbers in end strength. And as maritime AI tools grow increasingly available, countries such as Singapore are slowly shifting to unmanned fleets and assets – a trend that will likely shape the region's maritime future, Codrean said. Euroatlas is riding this trend with Greyshark, an AUV co-developed with EvoLogics, which had its first showing in the region at the IMDEX Asia trade show earlier this month. The Greyshark AUV can stay underwater for up to four months. It boasts of swarm data-sharing and stealth capabilities and the capacity to fulfill an array of missions, from monitoring underwater infrastructure such as cables and gas pipelines to stealth intelligence gathering, coast clearing, and naval mine warfare. While open sea trials for Greyshark are set this week in Portugal, the company plans to release a charging pod for the Bravo version which will be installed in the seabed 'so the Greyshark doesn't need to go above water to recharge' and a larger version, the Foxtrot, which runs on hydrogen cell battery. Shifting to autonomous underwater vehicles for military use is 'addressing this permanent maritime awareness that you need given the geopolitics in the region. It is addressing the cost; it's very low-cost to deploy this compared to a manned [platform]; and number three, it's very safe. Because when you lose one of these, you don't lose a life,' Codrean said. The growing interest in AUVs comes after cargo ships dragged their anchors at the bottom of the Baltic Sea and damaged subsea data cables and a gas pipeline in two separate incidents. China-flagged ships caused the incidents, but European officials and militaries believe Russian intelligence agencies are behind the attacks. Similar incidents occurred in waters surrounding Taiwan, conducted by Africa-registered ships manned by a suspected Chinese crew. Taiwanese officials speculate an attempt by China to establish a 'maritime shadow network' to sabotage Taiwanese subsea cables. While China denied the incidents as state-sanctioned, the government revealed a new ship capable of cutting cables at 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) with ease. Adm. Stephen Koehler, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, said it's necessary to determine if the incidents are part of 'gray zone tactics,' a threat, or an accident. And the best way to do so is for countries in the region to agree on standards, he said. 'All of those things are possible,' Koehler said during the International Maritime Security Conference. 'I think if we can categorize those and get some level of agreement, it is vital for all countries to have that secure infrastructure protected. And having that work under a set of norms and laws that address the underwater structures is widely important.' While AUVs offer a way to monitor these incidents and alert operators of possible hostile activities underwater, their presence might pose challenges for Southeast Asia, where there is no formal mechanism for Navy-level exchanges in the underwater domain, according to Adm. Datuk Zulhelmy bin Ithnain, chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy. 'The underwater domain is becoming congested, and we do not really speak of our operations underwater especially involving submarines in our navies,' Ithnain said. Having a template is crucial, he said, especially if Navies in the region begin to adopt AUVs into their force structure.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Israeli defense firms lament a chill from erstwhile client Philippines
JERUSALEM — Israeli defense companies have begun questioning their government about a chill in relations with the Philippines, as officials in Manila appear to be turning away from a longtime supplier of defense equipment. The source of the bilateral freeze is murky, with some executives here blaming the Israeli government's unwillingness to back Filipino sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The Israeli Ministry of Defense's mandate of prioritizing equipment deliveries to Israeli forces amid the Gaza war – at the expense of international customers – also is to blame, industry officials have said. 'The competitors are already aware and have begun to act on it,' one executive told Defense News, speaking on condition of anonymity while discussing the sensitive matter. Israeli companies were most recently observing the Manila chill during the DSEI Japan defense exhibition, which ran from May 21 to May 23, according to an Israeli industry insider who said Filipino representatives appeared interested in Japanese products instead. The Philippines is the third-largest defense buyer from Israel, accounting for about 8.1% of total exports after the United States (13%) and India (34%). That is according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report from last March. Defense purchases from Israel intensified during the period of Rodrigo Duterte as president of the Philippines. In his visit to Israel in September 2018 he said during a speech at a joint event with then-Israeli President Reuven Rivlin: 'I instructed my military personnel that in the field of military equipment and weapons, there is only one country to buy from, and that is Israel.' Among the Israeli defense systems purchased by the Philippines are the Spyder air defense systems from Rafael, Sabrah 2 light tanks from Elbit, Shaldag boats from Israel Shipyards, and Hermes-type drones. Israeli defense companies declined to comment on the record. The Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement that 'the issue is known and is in discussion with security officials and defense industries.' A ministry spokesperson denied that Israel's position on South China Sea claims is at the center of any disagreements. The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv did not return a request for comment by press time.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
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Maintenance costs will spike as militaries add advanced planes: Report
The costs of maintaining, repairing and overhauling military aircraft is likely to spike worldwide in years to come as advanced planes make up a growing portion of fleets, according to a new study from consulting firm Oliver Wyman. In the report, analysts Doug Berenson, Livia Hayes and Ian Ferguson said the global market for maintenance, repairs and overhauls of military aircraft — or MRO — totaled about $97 billion in 2025, and remained roughly flat over the preceding six years. That is likely to change over the next decade, as MRO costs grow and spending rises at about 1.4% per year. That means militaries could be spending more than $111 billion on MRO by 2035. The report, titled 'The Military's Mounting Cost for Cutting-Edge Technology: Why Global Air Forces Will Spend More on their Fleet MRO,' was provided to Defense News by Oliver Wyman. A key factor driving these higher MRO costs, the report said, is the growing number of advanced aircraft such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Such jets bring dramatically more sophisticated capabilities, such as stealth, than older jets. But their complex software, advanced propulsion systems, exotic materials and other technologies require more service hours to sustain and higher operating costs. Lockheed Martin says it has delivered more than 1,170 F-35s around the world. The U.S. Air Force now has about 471 F-35As and eventually plans to buy 1,763 of the jets. The report said that of the roughly 310 fighter jets bought each year by militaries worldwide, about half are F-35s. They make up 2.2% of the global fleet now, and over the next decade F-35s are projected to grow to 4.7% of the global fleet. 'By 2035, the F-35 alone will account for 9.5% of the global total MRO spending — more than twice the aircraft's share today,' the report said. But F-35s aren't the only advanced aircraft swelling militaries' fleets. The Air Force is also working on two sixth-generation aircraft, the B-21 Raider stealth bomber and the F-47 fighter, also known as Next Generation Air Dominance. The Air Force also wants a fleet of more than 1,000 semi-autonomous drone wingmen, known as collaborative combat aircraft, to fly alongside its piloted fighters, and is working with General Atomics and Anduril Industries on the first iteration of CCAs. The U.S. Navy, as well as European and Asian militaries, are also looking hard at their own sixth-generation fighters. The report said those nations' governments should take MRO costs' effect on budgets into account as those planes are designed. The report also cited European aircraft such as the Airbus A400M Atlas, an advanced heavy transport plane, and the NHIndustries NH90 helicopter as examples of complex aircraft headed for military fleets. Complex aircraft worldwide now make up about 11% of military fleets, the report said, but a decade from now that will be up to 17%. NATO fleets now spend about 16% of their MRO budgets on complex aircraft, the report added. By 2035 that share will have risen to 26%. The increasing importance of drones in warfare, particularly in Ukraine, is also causing MRO spending to grow. Over the last five years, major air forces around the world added 350 unmanned aerial vehicles to their fleets, bringing the total to more than 1,400. That is expected to more than double over the next decade, to 3,460 worldwide. 'MRO spending [on drones] has started to grow faster than the global fleet,' the report said. 'Besides the increased sophistication of newer platforms, the supercharged demand has been driven by aircraft needs related to the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine. For governments operating these aircraft, the coming period of higher growth will bring significant challenges and questions about how ready is ready enough.' Governments will need to strike the right balance between multiple priorities, the report noted, including determining how valuable high aircraft readiness is compared to the rising maintenance costs that would require. The report said air forces will need to expand their supply chains for spare parts, so they are not dependent on sources that are diminishing or even going out of business. That issue of parts sources drying up has, over time, become an acute problem for decades-old planes like the B-52 Stratofortress. Air forces also need to figure out whether they want to have the original manufacturer of planes or drones conduct the necessary MRO work, which may be simpler but come with a higher price tag. If air forces cannot adequately budget for growing MRO expenses, the report said, other aspects of those forces' airpower can suffer. The report pointed to the U.S. Air Force's decision in recent years to dial back the number of flying hours budgeted for its planes, and its inability to turn around declining mission-capable rates, as it focused instead on bringing on new technologies and aircraft it hopes will plug those gaps. 'As it prioritizes modernization, the Air Force is betting that it can manage these readiness risks,' the report stated.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth to attend Asia defense summit, with no China meeting planned
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to the Shangri-La Dialogue, the largest defense conference in Asia, where he will deliver a speech on the Pentagon's approach to the region under the second Trump administration. While in Singapore, though, Hegseth is not expected to meet with his counterpart from China, as his predecessor Lloyd Austin did last year. Beijing normally sends its defense minister to the summit but is unlikely to this year, downgrading its participation to a lower-level official. The gap would make it a year since an American defense secretary has met in person with his Chinese counterpart, even as the two militaries continue speaking at lower levels. 'It is a signal that they are concerned about the level of engagement,' a U.S. defense official said of the Chinese choosing not to send their defense minister. Incoming defense secretaries usually take the Shangri-La Dialogue to project the new administration's policy toward the region, which America's military has considered the most important in the world for the last decade. Austin visited Singapore all four of his years in office and used his speeches to discuss the value America put on working with like-minded countries. While there, Hegseth is expected to meet with counterparts from Southeast Asia and U.S. allies, such as the Philippines, Australia and Japan. Notably, Hegseth still lacks several top advisers on his Asia team. More than five months into the administration, there is no permanent appointee to run the Pentagon's China office and no nominee to lead Indo-Pacific policy overall. Hegseth previously visited Asia in March, where he affirmed the U.S. military would keep its focus on the region as some countries worried about an isolationist turn in American foreign policy. 'What the Trump administration will do … is truly prioritize and shift this region of the world in a way that is unprecedented,' Hegseth said in a March press conference in Manila. Hegseth has pledged to 'restore deterrence' to the Indo-Pacific as China continues a massive military buildup and grows more aggressive around U.S. partners in the Philippines and Taiwan. Members of the Biden administration's Pentagon team have bristled at the critique, arguing they did just that. The head of Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo has said that the U.S. military would still win in a fight against China, but that he doesn't like the trend lines with China's industrial base outpacing America's. This year's conference will be headlined by French President Emanuel Macron and feature a large group of European countries, also arriving at a moment of doubt in Washington's policy toward the region. After Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration urged countries in Europe and Asia to grow more involved in each other's security. To wit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the Shangri-La Dialogue last year. Defense News reported in March that the new Pentagon team has urged Europeans to stay out of the region, though, and focus on defending their own continent alone. '[There is] no demand signal from the U.S. for the Europeans to be involved in the Pacific,' a European official said at the time.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Army targets 2028 to deliver future assault aircraft to soldiers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. − The Army plans to accelerate the delivery of its first production-representative Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft to soldiers in 2028 by moving into low-rate production while still testing prototypes, Col. Jeffrey Poquette, the service's FLRAA program manager, told Defense News. Army leadership has tasked itself to accelerate the fielding of FLRAA as part of a newly debuted transformation initiative. And while speeding up any major procurement program contains substantial risk, Army aviation leaders and Textron's Bell, the company chosen to build the service's brand new advanced tiltrotor, say the program is unique in the sense that significant risk was driven down through digital design, engineering and a technology demonstration effort, where it flew the V-280 Valor tiltrotor for over 200 hours. 'Normally you would build prototypes, then you would go to test,' Poquette said. 'And during test, you're not doing a whole lot of building. You're testing the aircraft and you're building up a body of engineering work and results [ahead of] a Milestone C [production] decision.' Typically, programs are in testing with prototypes for roughly two years prior to production decisions. 'We're not going to accelerate testing. We're not going to accelerate design,' he said. 'They're already very compressed, but what we can do is assume a little bit of risk and say, well maybe we can build aircraft during test.' With the test effort going on in the background with the eight prototypes that will have already been built, Bell would begin building production aircraft, he said. In 2027, the Army plans to make an early production decision ahead of Milestone C. The service is able to do so because there is already an option built into the current contract with Bell to exercise a low-rate production lot. While concurrency — when a program chooses to produce systems before proving final design out through the testing program — has led to program delays and, in some cases, demise, Bell and the Army are confident this time is different. Bell has assured the Army that it is 'very confident' in its digital engineering to the point that, 'although it may not be perfect, it'll be pretty close,' Poquette said. 'It's a continuation of production from our prototypes into early production representative aircraft,' Ryan Ehinger, Bell's FLRAA program manager, said. 'And it's a second iteration. We did the [Joint Multirole Technology Demonstrator]. That was a one-off aircraft. We've been doing manufacturing development from then through now in some of these advanced manufacturing technologies and techniques.' Bell also builds critical components like the wing, the blades and the gear boxes, he added. 'We've got our manufacturing technology center that has been iterating for years on some of these designs,' he said. Another lever the Army plans to try to pull to accelerate fielding is completing full-rate production in four or five years rather than in seven or eight. 'What we're asking Bell to do is build capacity faster to get to a full-rate production,' Poquette said. 'That means we get a company a year earlier, but we get a battalion 18 months earlier and we get two battalions 30 months earlier.' While the original plan was to conduct the initial operational test program in late FY31, the Army could also be able to enter that phase more quickly because it will already have aircraft built, according to Poquette. The IOT&E could potentially begin in the FY28 or FY29 time period.
