Submarine features as Naval Technology lists the top five terms tweeted on naval tech in Q1 2020, based on data from GlobalData’s Influencer Platform. The top tweeted terms are the trending industry discussions happening on Twitter by key individuals (influencers) as tracked by the platform.

1. Submarine – 2,376 mentions

Testing submarine readiness and additional military funds being diverted to build the US border wall with Mexico, and subs with new capabilities, were some of the popular topics discussed in Q1 2020. For example, an article shared by David B Larter, a naval warfare reporter, the Trump administration an additional $7.2bn of the Pentagon funds to build its border wall with Mexico. According to internal figures, it is five times the amount authorised by the Congress. The influencer added that the enormous sum is equal to three DDGs, two Virginia-class submarines, seven FFG(x), 14 LCS, and three squadrons of F-35’s.

Assessing marine readiness and gaining operational excellence in the Arctic region, was another topic discussed by the U.S. Navy, the official account of the US Navy. The tweet detailed the collaboration of US submarine forces with other international partners at the Camp Seadragon, a temporary military outpost on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean. The three-week biennial exercise trained and assessed boat crews to stay sharp in the Arctic, which officials believe is vital to national security.

In other news, H I Sutton, an author and defense analyst, shared an article of a Turkish submarine with new capability. The sub, which was passing through Istanbul, had an array of twelve white circles just above the waterline. This is expected to be the locally developed Zargana anti-torpedo defense system. The Zargana Countermeasure System protects submarines against incoming torpedoes. The country is actively marketing Zargana, and is seemingly developing an indigenous submarine with this system.

2. Frigate – 774 mentions

Frigates training to establish continuous maritime capability, and fight against piracy, coupled with planned upgrades, and the development of new frigate factories, were some of the popularly discussed topics this quarter. For instance, EU NAVFOR or Operation Atlanta, which is the European Union’s counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia, tweeted on the Spanish and Italian collaboration of the Numanica and Bergamini frigates to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean.

Naval Analyses, a naval analyst and editorial contributor, shared an article on the Barbaros-class (MEKO 200 TN Tack IIA/B) frigate after the planned upgrade. The influencer further added that if this ambitious plan took place, then the Turkish variant would become the heaviest MEKO 200 variant worldwide.

In other news, NavyLookout, an independent online campaign to promote the Royal Navy (RN), shared an article on Britain’s new frigate factory. In a bid to build five Type 31 frigates for the RN, Babcock is constructing a new module hall to assemble the ships at their Rosyth yard. Approximately 1.96-hectares will be redeveloped to directly involve 200-250 people in the construction of the type 31 frigates.

3. Maritime Security – 561 mentions

Collaborated patrolling, rotational deployment, and passage exercises to ensure maritime security and stability and seamless interoperability across the waters, were popularly discussed topics in Q1 2020. According to the U.S. Navy, the official account of the US Navy, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), the nuclear powered aircraft carrier group, continued its Pacific Ocean transit since end of January. The carrier strike group was being deployed to the Indo-Pacific with more than 6,000 sailors to promote maritime security and work alongside international partners and allies.

Deborah Haynes, a foreign affairs editor at Sky News, tweeted on the Britain’s Royal Navy taking command over the US Navy, to promote maritime security in the Gulf and to protect global shipping from the threat of attacks from Iran.

In other news, Spokesperson Navy, providing Indian naval news and information, tweeted on the first training squadron ships of the Indian Navy carrying out passage exercise with the Mauritius National Coast Guard (MNCG) ships and the MNCG Dornier, collaborating on coordinated flying operations, and search and rescue operations.

4. Missile – 391 mentions

Live-fire range tests, anti-submarine exercises, submarine upgrades with new cruise missiles, and the seizure of Iranian weapons, were widely discussed during the quarter. For instance, the U.S. Marines, the official account of the United States Marine Corps, tweeted on a marine firing an M41A7 Saber missile system during a live-fire range in Setermoen, Norway. The test was conducted to assess marines’ ability to fire anti-tank missiles in an Arctic region.

Tyler Rogoway, editor at War Zone, shared an article on the US Navy’s plans to dramatically increase the arsenal of weapons for the P-8A Poseidon, the maritime patrol aircraft. The new weapons will include new missiles, mines, bombs, and decoys. There has been a longstanding debate on the provision of more munitions and stores for the aircraft, which could transfer them into arsenal ships capable of performing missions beyond anti-submarine, search and rescue or anti-surface warfare.

In other news, the U.S. Central Command, the official account of one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the US Department of Defense, tweeted on the USS Normandy, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser of the US Navy having seized 150 Iranian-made copies of the Russian Kornet anti-tank guided missile, and three Iranian-designed and manufactured 358 surface-to-air missiles.

5. Naval Warfare – 282 mentions

Naval ambitions, modernisation, and the need to adapt to the changing requirements of warships, and the use of hypersonic weapons in naval warfare, were popularly discussed during the quarter. According to Collin Koh, a research fellow focusing on naval affairs, maritime security, and geopolitics, shared an article on the role of hypersonic weapons on naval warfare. Hypersonic weapons are being developed by China, Russia and the US. Whether their arrival will lead to an increase in military spending or weaken the crisis stability will depend on the countries having to agree on ways to control their abundance.

Other tweets discussed the increased size and cost of building frigates, which meant less of these, could be built by most navies. However, modernisation and the need to adapt to changing requirements were absolutely necessary for building these types of warships.

In other news, Shephard News, an online platform that provides aerospace and defense news and analysis, tweeted on Beijing’s naval ambitions in the South China Sea. The article further noted that this has been a major cause of concern for some years.

https://twitter.com/CollinSLKoh/status/1235846164060098562