Florent de Saint Victor looks at the emerging challenges that the two leading European navies share in common: From fleet and equipment renewal to attracting, training and retaining new sailors.

Babcock International has completed the first docking and maintenance period on HMS Queen Elizabeth at its Rosyth site, the British Aerospace and Defence company announced on May 21, 2019.

The Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender intercepted a supersonic target, during exercise Formidable Shield.

The UK MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) on April 16 launched a competition aiming at « developing the Royal Navy’s autonomous underwater capability » by studying he utility and operational boundaries of Extra-Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUVs).

The first Leonardo Merlin HM.2 helicopter fitted with the Crowsnest kit conducted its first flight in late March 2019 at the Leonardo Helicopters (formerly AgustaWestland) site of Yeovil. The Crowsnest kit transforms the Merlin HM.2 of the Royal Navy into an Advanced Early Warning (AEW) helicopter.

Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose conducting United Nations sanctions enforcement against North Korea has successfully tracked an illegal transfer at sea.

HMS Queen Elizabeth has sailed under the Forth bridges once more, as she returns to her birthplace for a scheduled period of maintenance.

Robots and autonomous mine-hunters are set to revolutionise Royal Navy operations after the Defence Secretary announced a £75million injection into pioneering new technology.

According to an announcement published by the European Ted online platform, the UK MoD Maritime Combat Systems (MCS) Team awarded Thales UK a £64 million (US$84 million) contract for Astute-class submarine sensors support.

The transformation of the patrol ship force has taken a big step forward as HMS Medway Batch 2 River-class OPV raised the White Ensign for the first time, the Royal Navy announced on March 13, 2019.