Naval Technology lists five of the top tweets on naval tech in August 2022 based on data from GlobalData’s Aerospace, Defence & Security (ADS) Influencer Platform.
The top tweets are based on total engagements (likes and retweets) received on tweets from more than 180 naval tech experts tracked by GlobalData’s ADS Influencer platform during August 2022.
The most popular tweets on naval tech in August 2022: Top five
1. H I Sutton’s tweet on Russia’s new stealth submarine
H I Sutton, a defence analyst, shared an article on the Russian submarine design bureau Rubin unveiling its latest advanced submarine concept, the Arctic. The new ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) represents the next generation after the Borei class and is also an insurance policy against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) involvement in Ukraine, the article detailed. The new boat is called the Arcturus and has a radical design that features an angled outer hull with sloping sides and blended lines. It also has a chine running on the side that resembled an aircraft, the article further noted.
The angled outer casing is similar to the Type-212CD which is built by Germany and Norway, and also by the British Dreadnought class in some ways, the article highlighted. The angled outer hull is built against active sonar and is expected to be accompanied by outdated passive-sonar stealth. This involved mounting the machinery on the rafts, to isolate the noise. The boat is also expected to have anechoic coatings outside the pressure hull, which is extensively used in Russian submarines.
Username: H I Sutton
Twitter handle: @CovertShores
Likes: 560
Retweets: 193
2. Dan Lamothe’s tweet on the Pentagon using seas to deliver weapons to Ukraine
Dan Lamothe, a military journalist, shared an article on the Pentagon expanding its use of maritime shipping to send weapons to Ukraine, according to US defence officials. This move came after the US depended heavily on aircraft to get the arms and ammunition to Kyiv as quickly as possible and during the initial days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the article noted. The US Defence Department significantly broadened the initiative via the seas in spring by offering Ukraine with howitzer artillery and other heavy weapons.
Steven Putthoff, the deputy director of operations at the US Transportation Command stated that once the US started providing the Ukrainian army with howitzers, they realised they needed more ammunition. As a result, they decided to use more sealift to offer their support, the article detailed. The Biden administration approved $12.9bn of military support for Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February this year, and also promised an additional $2.98bn of support on Ukraine’s independence day.
Username: Dan Lamothe
Twitter handle: @DanLamothe
Likes: 171
Retweets: 42
3. Sebastian Bruns’s tweet on the US Navy decommissioning warships
Sebastian Bruns, a maritime strategist, retweeted an article shared by retired Navy captain Jerry Hendrix on the US Navy set to decommission more than 30 warships in the next 16 and a half months, or 13.5% of its entire fleet. The US Navy called the Congress to run it on a day-to-day basis ships, while cutting down 39 warships was strategically unwise, Hendrix tweeted. Instead, it was time to invest more in maintenance facilities, as many ships were inside their service lines, he added. The list included five guided-missile cruisers and nine Littoral Combat Ships, according to an administrative release. However, the Congress was likely to block some of the Navy’s fiscal year 2023 decommissioning plan, the article further detailed.
The inactivation schedule was expected to begin with the decommissioning of USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR-300), USNS Fisher (T-AKR-301), and USNS Walter S Diehl (T-AO-193) on 31 October 2022. Meanwhile, the last ships to be decommissioned included the USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) and USS St. Louis (LCS-19).
Username: Sebastian Bruns
Twitter handle: @naval_gazing
Likes: 110
Retweets: 53
4. Gabriele Molinelli’s tweet on the BAE Adaptable Strike Frigate
Gabriele Molinelli, a journalist, tweeted on the images of BAE Adaptable Strike Frigate concept that showed unsurprising but welcome details. Features included space for containers on the roof and an interesting stern, Molinelli tweeted. The frigate also showed the re-use of Type 26 lines in the front superstructure, bridge or mast, he added. The stern, on the other hand, offered a launch and recovery area, as well as a large garage for boats and drones with side doors.
According to Molinelli, the five 40-feet containers on the roof held lots of potential. For instance, the US army was soon to deploy TYPHOON, in which the containers could host an MK41 launcher for Standard Missile (SM)-6 and TOMAHAWK. The SM-6 could be fired by the same launcher embarked on Large Uncrewed Vessels, Molinelli added.
Username: Gabriele Molinelli
Twitter handle: @Gabriel64869839
Likes: 107
Retweets: 17
5. Xavier Vavasseur’s tweet on the French making another bid to build submarines for Australian navy
Xavier Vavasseur, a naval reporter, shared an article on the French President Emmanuel Macron offering to build four new submarines for the Australian navy to avoid a capability gap created by the AUKUS deal to acquire nuclear-powered boats. Sources confirmed that the offer from Macron was made when he hosted Mr Albanese in Paris in July 2022, the article detailed. The critical meeting was meant to repair bilateral ties between Australia and France when Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison dismissed the $90bn French-designed submarine project.
Macron’s pitch was that for the first five years of design work that had been infused into Australia’s planned Attack class submarine had made it the most advanced diesel-electric submarine in the world. However, the submarines would not be built in Adelaide, Australia, but in the French shipbuilder Naval Group’s yard in Cherbourg, where the infrastructure was already in place. The French offer comes amidst the Defence Department’s work on recommendations on the future of Australia’s submarine programme that is to be handed over to the government in March.
Username: Xavier Vavasseur
Twitter handle: @xaviervav
Likes: 51
Retweets: 10
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