USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), one of the 40 surface ships participating in the 29th Iteration of Exercise Rim of the Pacific, was spotted equipped with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s Naval Strike Missile. The Royal Australian Navy’s Hobart-class destroyer, HMAS Sydney, was also spotted with a full load of four NSMs aboard. Marking the first instance where vessels of both classes were seen equipped with Naval Strike Missiles. The NSM, which is designated as the RGM-184A by the US Navy, is currently scheduled to be fielded aboard the Navy’s Freedom and Independence classes of Littoral Combat Ships as well as the Constellation…
Author: Zach
The US Navy is planning to procure and test fire two to three flight test units for its newest missile program, dubbed Compact Agile Interceptors. The program, which was initiated by the Navy as part of its Fiscal Year 2024 budget request, is aimed at countering complex raids involving hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, and surface vessels. The Navy said that it has identified a lack of “capability and capacity” on its current ships to counter these threats utilizing existing missiles. To address these threats, the Navy is looking to utilize “small diameter missiles” that have a higher packing efficiency–like the…
Last week, Anduril Industries, a relatively new defense startup, unveiled its latest drone system called the Roadrunner. Following a very mixed attempt at hyping up the release of the drone by the company’s founder, Palmer Luckey, the system has not lived up to the hype that preceded it. While it might have not lived up to the hype, we decided to take a look at the system and what sort of capabilities it brings to the table. Making Sense of The Roadrunner: From a preliminary look at the material that has been released about the Roadrunner, we can tell that…
As the Space Development Agency’s launch plans draw nearer, we take an in-depth look at the agency’s National Defense Space Architecture.