Romania Justifies Warship Acquisition Through SAFE Over Damen’s Offer

In a May 12, 2026 press release, the Romanian Ministry of Defense stated that Damen’s proposal did not meet the programme’s technical requirements, responding to recent media comparisons with the SAFE acquisition of two Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessels  (MMPV 90) from Rheinmetall. The article also outlines the procurement timeline for the Romanian Naval Forces, which shifted from the GOWIND design to OPV 2600, then the Hisar-class OPV, and finally the MMPV 90. My story for Naval News, here.

Romania Advances MMPV 90 Corvette Acquisition with Rheinmetall

Romania is advancing its naval modernization program with the planned acquisition of four new vessels. Two of these will be large multipurpose offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) built to a light corvette standard, similar to Bulgaria’s procurement of the MMPV 90. The remaining two vessels will be dedicated diver support and intervention ships. These projects form part of a broader package of 16 military procurement programs worth €8.3 billion under the EU-backed Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, according to a parliamentary document. The naval component alone is valued at approximately €920 million, making it the second-largest procurement effort under SAFE. Of this amount, around €836 million is allocated to the two light corvettes. My story for Naval News, here.

Bulgaria’s First MMPV 90 Corvette Begins Sea Trials

The lead ship of the two 2,300 ton MMPV 90 corvettes for the Bulgarian Navy, a design by the German shipbuilder NVL Group and constructed by the local shipbuilder MTG Dolphin Shipyard in Varna, commenced sea trials. Roughly two years after MTG Dolphin Shipyard PLC launched the first of the Bulgarian Navy’s two new 90-meter, heavily armed Multi-Purpose Modular Patrol Vessels (MMPV 90), built under the management of the German shipbuilder NVL Group (formerly Lürssen Defence) and with the participation of numerous Bulgarian suppliers, the ship began its sea trials on November 11 in Varna Bay and the Black Sea. Following the successful completion of these trials, the vessel will be formally accepted into the Navy. My story for Naval News, here.

Angolan Navy BR71 MKII Corvette Program Progresses

Progress advances on future BR71 Mk II light corvettes for the Angolan Navy, with all three vessels under simultaneous construction in France and the United Arab Emirates. Equipped with advanced electronic systems and heavy armament for their size, these ships will rank among the most capable warships in their class on the African continent. Various published photos during the last months showcase the progress on the new BR71 MKII light corvettes being built for the Angolan Navy, simultaneously at the Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) shipyard in Cherbourg, France, and the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) facilities in the UAE. Some of the photos reveal a fully assembled vessel at CMN, offering intriguing insights into its configuration. My story for Naval News, here.

India Commissions Its First ASW-SWC Corvette

On June 18, 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned the first of 16 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), essentially a light corvette, to enhance the protection of its vast coastline against subsurface threats such as submarines, midget submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The commissioning ceremony took place at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, in the presence of General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff. Among the others present were Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Rajaram Swaminathan, CWP&A, Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, ADG Donny Michael, Coast Guard Commander (Eastern Seaboard), senior officials from Indian Navy and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Larsen & Toubro Shipbuilding (L&T), distinguished civilian dignitaries, ex- Commanding Officers of erstwhile Arnala and guests. My story for Naval News, here.

New Frigates, Submarines, Patrol Vessels and Several Upgrade Programs for Greece

On April 10, Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias addressed the Hellenic Parliament’s Special Standing Committee on Armament Programmes and Contracts regarding the Long-term Planning of Defence Armaments of the Armed Forces 2025–2036. The following day, April 11, he expanded on the program in an interview with journalist Apostolos Mangiriadis at the Delphi Economic Forum X. In both appearances, he presented the long-awaited defense procurement plan for the Hellenic Armed Forces. This strategic initiative aims to strengthen national defense and upgrade military capabilities over the next 12 years in response to rapidly shifting geopolitical dynamics. Central to the plan is a comprehensive naval armament program. The Long-term Planning of Defence Armaments 2025–2036 is aligned with the new Force Structure and forms a key component of the broader “Agenda 2030” reform framework. It encompasses a wide range of projects, with particular emphasis on the modernization and expansion of the Hellenic Navy. My story for Naval News, here.

Israel Shipyards Begin Construction of Reshef-class Corvettes

The Ministry of Defense, the Israeli Navy, and Israel Shipyards marked on February 18, 2025 the beginning of the production process for the Reshef-class ships (corvettes) in a traditional “steel cutting” ceremony, signaling the start of the manufacturing of five advanced warships. The event was attended by Acting Director General of the Ministry of Defense Itamar Graf, Commander of the Israeli Navy Vice Admiral David Saar Salama, Deputy Director General and Head of the Defense Procurement Directorate (DOPP) Ze’ev Landau, Head of the Finance Division at the Ministry of Defense CPA Dekel Cohen, owners of Israel Shipyards Industries Shlomi Fogel, Assi Shmeltzer, and Sami Katzav, CEO of Israel Shipyards Eitan Zucker, and other senior officials. As part of the deal, led by the outgoing Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir, Israel Shipyards will provide the Navy with five advanced “Reshef”-class ships at a cost of approximately NIS 2.8B ($780M). The new ships are expected to replace the old “Saar” (Sa’ar 4.5 or else Nirit Class) vessels, which will be retired after nearly four decades of service. My story for Naval News, here.

‘No, a Thousand Times No’: Greek Defense Minister on LCS Deal

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias was particularly critical of the letter from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which referenced a number of weapon systems, vehicles, and warships the U.S. intends to provide to Greece. Dendias expressed his concerns on December 14, 2024 during his speech in the Hellenic Parliament on the draft bill for the “Ratification of the State Budget for the Fiscal Year 2025”. Responding to questions from Parliamentary Representatives of the Parties, the Minister of National Defense made notable remarks regarding the United States and the Blinken letter. He also emphasized the unsuitability of the proposed LCS vessels (Freedom Class) for the Hellenic Navy. My story for Naval News, here.

Israel Launches Reshef-class Corvette Program

Israel's Ministry of Defense today inked the contract to start the Reshef-class corvette program. Five vessels are being procured for the Israeli Navy. They will be built locally by Israel Shipyards but some hull modules will be fabricated overseas by a U.S. shipbuilder. After more than 20 years, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the IDF are resuming the production of combat ships in Israel. Today, December 12, 2024, the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eyal Zamir, signed the “Reshef” deal in a small ceremony at HaKirya, Tel Aviv, attended by the Navy Commander, Maj. Gen. David Salama, Deputy Director General and Head of the Defense Procurement Directorate (DOPP), Zeev Landau, Head of the Planning and Force-Build-up Directorate of the IDF, Maj. Gen. Eyal Harel, Chairman of Israel Shipyards, Sami Katsav, CEO of Israel Shipyards, Eitan Zucker, Head of the Finance Division, CPA Dekel Cohen, and other senior officials. M ystory for Naval News, here.

Hellenic Navy Reveals Its Surface Fleet Modernization Plan

On May 23, 2024, at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2024, in Farnborough, UK, a Navy Leaders Conference, Commodore Panagiotis Karavas, Deputy Director of the Armaments Directorate for the Hellenic Navy (HN), revealed new details for the imminent modernization of the Hellenic Navy’s surface fleet. Note that the Greek Commodore was, until recently, the surface program director, so he was very closely involved in the Greek surface fleet programs. Naval News attended his briefing. My story for Naval News, here.

INFOGRAPHICS #64: PES 10714CO, the new light frigate of the Colombian Navy

Written by D-Mitch

Damen-Cotecmar PES 10714CO, the new
light frigate of the Colombian Navy

In this comprehensive post, I illustrate the equipment details of the Colombian Navy's new light frigate using graphical representations. Drawing from the latest insights sourced from infodefensa.com and with invaluable assistance from Erich Saumeth Cadavid, an esteemed analyst and correspondent at infodefensa, Janes, and Mönch, we delve into the evolving construction progress and specifications of this new design for the program Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES). The design is based on the proven design of the SIGMA 10514 multi-mission light frigate/corvette of Damen that was successfully constructed in other non-Damen shipyards, and serves with the Navies of Mexico and Indonesia. According to the Colombian MoD, Colombia selected Damen Shipyards as the technological ally because it obtained the best conditions in terms of effectiveness, cost and risk for the joint development of the contractual design of the frigate in Colombia. The PES programme calls for the local construction of up to five (5) frigates to replace the Colombian Navy's four ageing Almirante Padilla-class (FS1500) frigates, and its two Pohang-class corvettes that were acquired from the Republic of Korea Navy. 

Greece closer than ever to procure LCS from the U.S.

The recent letter from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis regarding the allocation of four Freedom-class LCS (Littoral Combat Ships) to Greece, within the framework of a large-scale equipment package that includes a plethora of systems to enhance or modernize all branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces, confirms in its entirety the longstanding rumors of Greece’s interest in acquiring LCS. Numerous reports, statements from Greek public figures, defense journalists, and the leadership of the Hellenic Navy (HN) indicated that Greece was actively considering the acquisition of LCS following their retirement from the US Navy. Note that the US Navy plans to retire a large number of the vessels of the class years ahead of the expected end of their service lives, ships which are extremely young by any standards and cost billions to build. My story for Naval News, here.

North Korea reveals a new cruise missile-armed corvette

An Amnok-class corvette of the North Korean Navy made an interesting appearance during a demonstration to the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang’s state media reported Monday without disclosing the date of his visit. Kim Jong Un inspected the Guards 2nd Surface Ship Flotilla of the East Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) honored with the title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment. A demonstration of the capabilities of a new warship which we see for the first time in such detail took place, the Patrol Ship (corvette) No. 661 of the Amnok-class. My story for Naval News, here.

Bulgaria’s First Modern Corvette Launched by Local Shipyard

On August 4, 2023, in Varna, the Bulgarian shipbuilder MTG Dolphin Shipyard PLC launched the first of the two new 2,300-ton corvettes / multi-purpose modular patrol vessels (MMPV) 90 for the Bulgarian Navy, under the management of the German shipbuilder NVL Group (formerly known as Lürssen Defence) which is the prime contractor of the project and with the involvement of numerous Bulgarian suppliers. The name of the new vessel will be “Hrabri”, meaning “Brave” in Bulgarian. It is a proud inheritor of the Bulgarian Navy’s torpedo boat of the same name from the beginning of 20^th century. The second ship will be named “Smeli“. The vessels, which are about 90 meters long (hence the designation MMPV 90) and with a beam of 13.5 meters, are being built under a contract signed with Germany’s NVL Group on 12 November 2020 valued at €420 million excluding weapon systems and ammunition. My story for Naval News, here.

Fincantieri reveals details of its FCx30 Corvette Proposal to Greece

During DEFEA 2023 in Athens, Naval News met with Dario Deste, Fincantieri’s General Manager Naval Vessels Division, to learn more about Fincantieri’s FCx30 proposal for the Hellenic Navy corvette program. The Italian shipbuilder competes with France’s Naval Group. Mr. Deste confirmed that Fincantieri and ONEX Elefsis Shipyards are in negotiations with the Greek government for 3+1 FCx30 corvettes which will be built in Italy (for the first-in-class ship) and Greece (for the following three). This is the design that has been selected by the Qatari Emiri Navy as Al Zubarah-class (known also as Doha-class); three of the four vessels in the class are already in active service since 2021. My story for Naval News, here. 

INFOGRAPHICS #62: Future Surface Combatants Vol. VΙI (Tamandare-class, SIGMA 12516, SIGMA 10514)

 Written by D-Mitch

In this post, I include some of the infographics I made and published on social media, about new surface combatants that are under construction and about to enter service in the near future as well as proposed designs to various recent competitions but without a customer yet.

1. Tamandaré-class light frigates/corvettes of the Brazilian Navy (4 ships)

 

Tamandare-class light frigate/corvette of the Brazilian Navy

New Gowind Corvette for the UAE Starts Sea Trials

The first Gowind type corvette for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Navy, Bani Yas (P110), has started its sea trials on March 6, 2023. It is the most advanced design to date in the Gowind family. Bani Yas is a multi-mission stealth corvette built by Naval Group providing multiple simultaneous capabilities and designed to achieve, with the highest level of performance, the full spectrum of naval defence operations and maritime security roles. In 2019, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ordered two Gowind-type corvettes to be built in France. The first corvette, Bani Yas, was launched in December 2021. The second one, Al Emarat, was launched in May 2022 at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient. My story for Naval News, here. 

Greece postpones corvette program decision to early 2023

In the first months of 2023, the Greek government will select the preferred bidder for the Hellenic Navy (HN) corvette program, between Fincantieri’s FCX30 (based on Qatar’s Doha/Al Zubarah-class variant) and Naval Group’s Gowind (based on Egypt’s El Fateh-class variant). Today, the Greek Government Council of National Security (KYSEA) under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister K. Mitsotakis decided to postpone the decision on the new corvette program for early 2023. The Greek government will select the preferred bidder for the Hellenic Navy (HN) corvette program, between Italian Fincantieri’s FCX30 (Qatar’s Doha/Al Zubarah-class variant) and French Naval Group’s Gowind (UAE’s Bani Yas-class variant). Both manufacturers have submitted their final and best offers. My story for Naval News, here. 

INFOGRAPHICS #59: Future Surface Combatants Vol. IV (Pohjanmaa-class, Al Jubail-class, Bani Yas-class)

Written by D-Mitch

In this post, I include some of the infographics I made and published on social media, about new surface combatants that are under construction and about to enter service in the near future

 

1. Pohjanmaa-class corvette of the Finnish Navy (4 ships)

Pohjanmaa-class corvette of the Finnish Navy. High resolution image here.

INFOGRAPHICS #58: Future Surface Combatants Vol. III (Arrowhead 140PL, Thaon di Revel-class, F126-class)

Written by D-Mitch

In this post, I include some of the infographics I made and published on social media, about new surface combatants that are under construction and about to enter service in the near future.

 

1. Arrowhead 140PL type frigates of the Polish Navy (3 ships)

Arrowhead 140PL class frigate of the Polish Navy