Alex Luck

Unclear. It has a snorkel, whether for sustained operation near the surface, or just to recharge the batteries. There's just a lot we dont know about this design and the rest is filled in by our assumptions.

It does look very much like a "true" submarine to me. But speculative.

The other angle, however, to the notable increase in experimental designs, is increasing liquidity in funding & related surge in R&D for PRC military developers. This is something I keep emphasising. Even if nothing much comes of this particular effort, the event matters. /end

I should caveat "major developments for PLAN" here insofar that we just dont know to what extent this new design matters. We have seen multiple experimental designs including submarines in the past. Several of which appear to have remained at the testing stage. Time will tell.

Since the news is making the rounds now, full credit must go to the enthusiasts at Sinodefenceforum, always digging up new imagery, even when I miss it from looking elsewhere.

The reality remains that we try to ascertain major developments for PLAN based on very limited imagery.

Bundeswehr still intends to also acquire Arrow 4, which replaces Arrow 2 as endoatmosphaeric interceptor in IDF service, once the design is available. The capability would address engagement range above PAC-3 MSE and below Arrow 3 for BMD.

Progress on selection & development of two further sites, speculated to be in Bavaria to the south and Schleswig-Holstein to the northwest, remains unclear.

The same applied, as of last year, to Bundeswehr standing up overall command structure for "territorial air defence".

Raketenabwehrsystem Arrow erreicht Anfangsbefähigung Die Bundeswehr hat heute am Standort Schönewalde mit dem Arrow-Luftverteidigungssystem (AWS-G: Arrow Weapon System - Germany) die sogenannte Anfangsbefähigung

Bundeswehr has announced IOC on Arrow 3, deploying the first set of equipment including launchers and radar at the Holzdorf air base. The system requires deployment at two further sites for FOC, which means 360° coverage of Germany & adjacent regions.
www.hartpunkt.de/raketenabweh...

Magnet Defense Unveils Next-Generation Long-Range USV - Naval News Magnet Defense’s 48-meter Large Uncrewed Surface Vessel (LUSV) has successfully completed a 390-day, 32,000-nautical-mile AI-enabled sea trial.

We continue to see a proliferation of the fashion I am now calling "the floating ISO container" among USV designs. While it makes some sense for utility, cost control and short term development, I doubt this is a very persistent philosophy.

www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Personally, my impression remains that this may well not be a UUV, but rather a crewed design for SOF type operations. Or just a fully experimental effort to try out unconventional hull configurations not related to a particular requirement. Wait and see. /end

Unusual Black Trimaran Drone Ship Spotted In Chinese Shipyard - Naval News Hidden beneath tarpaulins, an uncommon sight at Chinese shipyards, a new trimaran-hulled vessel appears to combine features of both surface ships and submarines.

Original article by HI here.
www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Obvious is the submarine-style sail including what looks like a snorkel.

While the linked article suggested a high speed design, I am not sure this is the case. Given the hull form I think we are looking at "normal" cruise speeds, though fully speculative as well. I am also unsure this is a drone.

This looks even more submarine-like than what HI suggested in his outline. The stern seems to terminate in a submarine-like configuration including propulsor (pumpjet?).

The purpose of the large forward compartment remains unclear (suggested to be a missile magazine).

We appear to have our first image from the ground of the curious trimaran-hulled design @covertshores.bsky.social reported on for @navalnews.com in late October.

Veracity to be confirmed, but looks pretty legit to me. Via "Syrida2887", SDF.

Stolen cargo breaks down to 10k rounds of pistol ammunition, another 9,9k rounds of rifle (dummy) training rounds, and an unspecified amount of smoke grenades.

The incident was only detected by Bundeswehr personnel, once the delivery arrived at its destination.

Sicherheitsvorfall in Burg bei Magdeburg: Fast 20.000 Schuss Bundeswehr Munition gestohlen Unbekannte haben Tausende Schuss Bundeswehr-Munition erbeutet. Nach ersten Ermittlungen hatte eine zivile Spedition die sensible Fracht über Nacht auf einem ungesicherten Parkplatz in Sachsen-Anhalt a...

Civilian logistics contractor for Bundeswehr managed to get around 20,000 rounds of small arms ammunition stolen off a truck. The vehicle was parked overnight, unguarded, in an industrial estate, in violation of the contract, while driver slept in hotel. www.spiegel.de/panorama/jus...

Drones made in Bavaria to boost German army's air defenses – DW – 11/27/2025 As Germany invests heavily in drones, Munich has emerged as the nation's hub for development. Amid drone sightings in other parts of the EU, the focus is increasingly shifting to air defence.

DW with a report on the really very active drone and counterdrone startup scene in Germany

www.dw.com/en/drones-ma...

Harry remains somewhat uncertain on this entire Christmas spirit thing. And we havent even tortured him with Mariah Carey yet.

This on top of the commendable military tradition of using a 24 hour time system like civilized people, and not the weird AM/PM approach, like savages pretending half the day isnt really worth thinking about for time management.

USA Approves First AIM-260A JATM Export to Australia - Naval News The Royal Australian Air Force will be the first foreign operator of the advanced AIM-260A JATM air-to-air missile according to U.S. sources speaking to Naval News on condition of anonymity. The sale ...

"Documents outlining the deal, viewed by Naval News, include 450 AIM-260A missiles, 5 AIM-260A test vehicles, and 30 AIM-260A guided test vehicles earmarked for Australia at a cost of $2.6 billion—$3.1 billion when including non-major defense equipment."
www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Pretty vague all around. "Task Group 989", comprising the Type 071 LPD Changbaishan and cadet training ship 81 Zheng He, is currently heading towards Malaysia, from Vietnam. Obviously there may be other vessels underway, to say nothing of civilian flagged ships.

Defence forces monitor Chinese flotilla The vessels may be heading towards Australia, less than a year after a naval task group sparked alarm when it unexpectedly circumnavigated the country.

"The location of the ships has not been revealed. It is also unclear whether the vessels are naval or scientific in nature, but their voyage has triggered enough interest to warrant closer attention."
www.afr.com/politics/fed...

A troubled & delayed program to meet an operational requirement to replace a single (!) submarine in limited service yesterday. What can possibly go wrong.

As I said before, a notionally good development for Saab. Whether it's going to work out is an entirely different question.

Sweden and Saab selected for Poland’s new submarines - Naval News The Swedish government's offer of Saab’s A26 submarines to Poland has been selected by the Polish government to replace the current Kilo-class submarine

Congratulations and condolences.

www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

It is not well known that Australian dogs possess an inherent instinct to queue for stick play.

Submarine cutaway artwork

New cutaway, Australian Collins class submarine. Drawn in MS Paint. Here-> www.hisutton.com/Collins-Clas...

Einfach irre, wie man ohne Wimpernzucken einfach mal so von einem Aufwuchs von 70% innerhalb von zehn Jahren reden kann. Bin sicher, die viel fabulierte Wehrpflicht wirds richten.

Neumann also notes Luftwaffe has "plans" to grow by 21,000 personnel until 2035 to meet "air and space"-requirements incl for NATO, from a current 29,000. Which gives you a rough idea how grounded in reality certain expectations are. 🤷‍♂️

(S+) Luftwaffenchef Holger Neumann: »Die Luftwaffe muss auf Siegfähigkeit ausgerichtet werden« Er ist seit Mai neuer Chef der Luftwaffe: Hier spricht Holger Neumann über die Probleme bei der Drohnenabwehr, darüber, warum unbemannte Flieger Kampfjets nicht vollständig ersetzen können und wie er ...

When asked about the perilious state of FCAS vis a vis next gen fighter jet capabilities, Luftwaffe chief Lieutenant General Neumann notes GCAP and F-35 also exist. However "we do not want to rely on F-35 alone.". Make of that what you will. 😉

www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...

Das aendert aber nichts daran, wie schnell TKMS einzelne Fregatten baut. Dass die Spezifikation fuer Deutschland an sich Zeit braucht, ist eine andere Frage.

Iris-T SLM currently does not fold wings before launch.