All articles by Grant Turnbull
Grant Turnbull
Explainer: The Royal Navy’s role in the Persian Gulf
The Gulf region has become a flashpoint with Iranian forces threatening western vessels travelling through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. For the Royal Navy, which recently re-established a permanent base in the region, it has highlighted a worrying lack of vessels and a possible over-reliance on international support, as Grant Turnbull explains.
Unlikely spies: using marine organisms as underwater sensors
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is exploring how it can incorporate marine life into systems that monitor underwater activity, particularly when it comes to detecting potential sub-surface threats. We talk to the experts involved and take a closer at the unique Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors (PALS) programme.
Future Littoral Strike: regaining the Royal Navy’s global reach
In February 2019, UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson announced the accelerated development of a new Future Littoral Strike Ship concept for the Royal Navy, a globally-deployable class of ships that if built will support a range of operations from crisis support to full-on combat. But can the navy afford the new ships and what capabilities are being replicated from other countries’ experience of deploying such vessels?
Yes we CAMM: inside the UK’s surface-to-air missile success
European missile company MBDA had a busy 2018 with its newest air defence weapon – known as the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) – successfully entering service with the Royal Navy and the British Army continuing its own testing towards fielding the same missile. Now the company is looking to expand further.