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An artist’s impression of the SSN-AUKUS concept. Credit: Royal Navy

As far as fantasy fleets go, the UK government’s plan to build up to 12 of the next generation SSN AUKUS (SSN-A) nuclear-powered attack submarines for the Royal Navy is right at the apogee of defence ambition.

In this scenario, an emboldened Royal Navy, operating at some point in the 2040s, will begin to replace its existing seven-strong Astute-class SSNs with new, let’s call them the ‘Fantasy class’, SSN-A boats, derived from the AUKUS platforms being jointly developed with Australia.

A drumbeat of one Fantasy-class SSN would be completed every 18 months, adding the equivalent of an entire Astute class fleet in the time is took to build a single one of its forebears.

Given this target, it can be extrapolated the UK government envisioned it could take 18 years to build the entire new 12-strong attack submarine fleet, less time than it takes the first two Astute boats to be built and commissioned into service.

James Cartlidge, Conservative Shadow Defence Secretary and a former defence minister, criticised the plan, saying the the submarines and ships promised were a “fantasy fleet” based on “fantasy funding”.

General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) has been awarded a $150m contract for the Abrams Engineering Programme, intended to deliver new technologies for the US Army’s M1E3 Abrams next-generation main battle tank (MBT).

The bid by GDLS was the only one received, with work to be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of 30 June 2027, using US Army fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation, funds.

In 2023 the US Army first announced the pathway forward for the M1E3 Abrams MBT modernisation programme, moving on from the M1A2 SEP v4 effort to produce a new-generation tank that will be effective on the battlefield into the 2040.

According to the US Army the development of the M1E3 Abrams would include the “best features of the M1A2 SEPv4”.

Cited in the original 2023 description, this process would enable the US Army to design a “more survivable, lighter tank”. 

A couple of days after the European Union (EU) struck a deal to soften the blow of US tariffs, Éric Trappier, the chief executive of Dassault Aviation, welcomed the exemption of aircraft from the grasp of America’s protectionist policy.

As an untouchable “strategic product”, the European Commission confirmed on 29 July 2025, that US tariffs on European aerospace products will go back to pre-January levels, unaffected by the 15% tariff baseline on all other competitive goods.

Although, it should be noted that this 15% tariff has been reduced from the initial 20% tariff touted during US president Donald Trump’s infamous White House Rose Garden policy unveiling in April.

“This will provide immediate tariff relief for key EU industries, while the EU and US agreed to keep working to add more products to this list,” Brussels explained.

Meanwhile, the White House boasts the new tariff regime will generate “tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually.” 

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is recruiting for three roles to be based at Navantia’s Cadiz shipyard in Spain as part of the programme to construct three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) vessels for the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Advertised on the UK government’s civil service jobs website, the UK MoD is seeking three positions: a Constructive Engineering Lead, a Naval Architecture Lead, and a Marine Engineering Oversight Lead.

All told, the salaries for the three roles total between £149,700 and £162,600, with the seniormost role, that of the Constructive Engineering Lead, commanding a top salary of £64,200.

The roles, fixed for a period of two years, also come with a range of other benefits including an average employer pension contribution of 28.97%. All three roles will be under Defence Equipment & Support, itself part of the MoD.

Among the listed responsibilities include the need to “own trade-offs” with other subsystem teams and specialists “over technical requirements and design compromises to maximise successfully system implementation and delivery”. 

Smartshooter, a designer and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems, has secured an order to deliver hundreds of SMASH 3000 fire control systems from an unnamed customer in Asia-Pacific.

The systems are intended for use in counter-small uncrewed aircraft systems (C-sUAS) operations and precision engagement of ground targets. The acquisition follows extensive operational testing and evaluation of the system, stated the company.

The SMASH 3000, the lightest handheld fire control system offered by Smartshooter, incorporates AI, computer vision, and advanced tracking algorithms.

These technologies ensure precise targeting, improved situational awareness, and reduced collateral damage during operations, according to Smartshooter.

The system is designed to enhance hit probability and provide a hard-kill solution against drones and sUAS.

Smartshooter CEO Michal Mor said: “We look forward to supporting our customer’s evolving operational needs.”