11 September 2023
by Jon Grevatt & Shaurav Gairola & Mike Plunkett
A TV screen at a railway station in Seoul shows an image of the launch of North Korea’s new ‘tactical nuclear attack submarine’. (Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
North Korea has unveiled a new “tactical nuclear attack submarine”, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on 8 September.
The submarine was launched and handed over to the Korean People’s Navy (KPN) on 6 September in a ceremony at the Sinpo shipyard on the country’s northeast coast that marked the country’s 75th founding anniversary and was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un.
The submarine has a hull number of 841 and is named Hero Kim Kun Ok, after a former North Korean naval leader. Kim was reported by KCNA as saying that the submarine would undertake combat missions and be one of the “core underwater offensive means” of the North Korean naval forces.
It is unclear whether the new submarine is fully operational. KCNA images showed the submarine entering the water at the shipyard.
In a speech at the launch ceremony, Kim said North Korea is planning the deployment of additional submarines with similar nuclear-strike capabilities.
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12 September 2023
by Meredith Roaten
The US Army’s LRHW could be delayed in fielding because of a recent flight cancellation. (US Navy)
The US Department of Defense (DoD) cancelled a flight test scheduled for the US Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) on 6 September, the Pentagon told reporters on 7 September.
The flight test scheduled at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, was cancelled after undergoing pre-flight checks, DoD Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. The army declined to confirm if the cancellation would push the army over the deadline it set for itself of having LRHW fielded, but “delivering hypersonic weapons remains a top priority for the department”, Ellen Lovett, army spokesperson, told Janes on 7 September.
“The department was able to successfully collect data on the performance of the ground hardware and software that will inform the continued progress towards fielding offensive hypersonic weapons,” she added.
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11 September 2023
by Richard Scott
Pictured at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose on 5 September is one of two Crowsnest-configured Merlin HM2 helicopters from 820 NAS now embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth for CSG23/Operation ‘Firedrake’. (Richard Scott/NAVYPIX)
The UK Royal Navy (RN) has achieved initial operating capability (IOC) for its much-delayed Crowsnest airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) capability.
Crowsnest is a role-fit for the Merlin HM2 helicopter, which swaps out the standard mission console and sonics suite for an ASaC mission system/radar package derived from that previously fitted to the Sea King ASaC7 helicopter. Lockheed Martin, as prime contractor, is responsible for integrating the Thales-supplied Crowsnest radar/mission system into the Merlin HM2. Leonardo Helicopters UK is supporting the modification of the 30-strong HM2 fleet to receive the Crowsnest fit.
Confirming the milestone on board the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on 8 September just prior to commencing the Carrier Strike Group 23 (CSG23) deployment – Operation ‘Firedrake’ – Commodore James Blackmore, commander of the CSG, said that the IOC standard marked a major step forward.
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11 September 2023
by Gareth Jennings
A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon intercepts a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 ‘Flanker’ over the Baltic region. The House of Commons Defence Committee has warned that recent cuts to the UK’s combat aviation capabilities have left the country ‘dangerously exposed’ in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine. (Crown Copyright)
Cuts to the UK’s combat air power over recent years have left the country “dangerously exposed” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a parliamentary report has determined.
Published on 11 August, the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC) report titled Aviation Procurement: Winging it? said that the “significant” cuts made in the 2021 Defence Command Paper (DCP) had diminished the UK’s combat aviation capabilities in the face of a resurgent and intransigent Russia, presenting what the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) described as “the greatest threat to the open international order in decades”.
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North Korea has unveiled a new “tactical nuclear attack submarine”, the state-run Korean Central New…
In the second part of this podcast Robert Cardillo, President, Cardillo Group and previous Director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and Deputy Director of the DIA, joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to continue the discussion o…
Role of imagery in support of OSINT – Part one
Using OSINT to understand the closed environment of North Korea
Use and limitations of AI in support of OSINT
Sudan – a case study in OSINT for crisis support
Assessing threats in the South China Sea
A competitive assessment of the military aircraft market
Identifying an unknown aircraft
Case study: Using Interconnected Intelligence to Monitor Russian Troop Movement
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