The Chinese garrison on Pangong Lake, which straddles the India-China border, has been reinforced with new assault boats. At least six are now present on the lake, allowing for a mobile assault force of at least 60 troops.
The Chinese Navy’s newest amphibious warfare asset, the Type-075 LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock) is setting sail for the first time.
Strong circumstantial evidence suggests that a Royal Navy warship is currently escorting two Russian Navy vessels in the English Channel. The approach of the Russian vessels, a submarine and a naval tug, was reported in Forbes yesterday. At that time the Royal Navy escort did not appear to be in place.
On July 13 the Pakistani Navy held a ceremony in Karachi to mark the induction of its newest corvette, the PNS Yarmook. Preparations for the ceremony were observed from an unusual perspective.
The Russian Navy appears to have deployed marine mammals in Syria during the civil war two years ago. H I Sutton has the story.
The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet can now deploy its submarines to the Mediterranean. This is despite an international treaty which many thought would prevent it. The Montreux Convention, agreed in 1936, prohibits submarines from passing through the Bosporus Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. There are exceptions in the treaty for special cases for Black Sea nations
Russia’s controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is enjoying a naval escort. The undersea pipeline will be built in the Baltic between Russia and Germany. Two offshore supply vessels involved in the project are currently being escorted. They are accompanied by a Project 1155 Udaloy-I Class destroyer and a Project 22160 patrol ship. At the time of writing the ships are currently 40 nautical miles southwest of Brest, France.
Iran built a large-scale dummy US Navy aircraft carrier in 2013-14. And then dramatically destroyed it in war games in February 2015. Recently it has been repaired and may be destined for another explosive demonstration soon. H I Sutton looks in details at Iran’s fake aircraft carrier and explains why it makes no realistic sense.
When the Marine Nationale’s latest submarine, Suffren (Q284) conducted its first test dives it grabbed headlines. What went largely unnoticed by the world was that a Russian ship had been loitering in the area.
Russian defense industry sources confirm that the Russian Navy’s Pr.1164 Atlant (NATO: SLAVA Class) will get a new lease of life.
