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Germany receives first P-8 sub-hunting plane amid Baltic Sea tensions

The German Navy's top officer said the planes would provide a “quantum leap” when it comes to range, sensors and duration of missions.
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MUNICH — The German navy has received its first of eight Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance and counter-submarine aircraft, the country’s military announced on Thursday.

The aircraft, handed over at the manufacturer’s Seattle, Washington, production plant, are meant to strengthen Germany’s maritime surveillance capabilities globally. A special focus will be on detecting and combating enemy submarines, said Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack, the navy’s chief of staff.

Germany decided to procure the P-8A Poseidon in 2021 with the intention of replacing Berlin’s aging fleet of P-3C Orion aircraft, which currently serve on naval surveillance and sub-hunting missions.

Initially, officials ordered five P-8 aircraft for a total of €1.1 billion ($1.29 billion), with three further planes procured following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the activation of a special extra-budgetary defense fund to beef up Germany’s military that year.
 
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Video: Aboard French Navy destroyer Forbin during a missile launch - Naval News

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) Horizon-type air defense destroyer Forbin successfully intercepted a AASM precision guided munition (PGM) launched from a Rafale Marine using an Aster 30 surface to air missile.
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The French Navy (Marine Nationale) Horizon-type air defense destroyer Forbin successfully intercepted a AASM precision guided munition (PGM) launched from a Rafale Marine using an Aster 30 surface to air missile.

The firing took place on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 and Naval News was aboard to bring you this exclusive coverage, including interviews with the Commanding Officer, Captain Pierre Pasco, as well as with one of the Principal Warfare Officers in the CIC.

This type of firing trains crews to deal with high-intensity situations likely to be encountered by French Navy surface combatants deployed in operation. In this instance, Forbin neutralized, in “Reflex Action Mode”, a AASM PGM representing a fast-moving air threat with a low radar signature and no electro-magnetic signature (it was a IR-guided munition therefore it wasn’t emitting in the EW spectrum). To make the scenario even more complex, the PGM was not targeted at Forbin but at a target simulating a Mistral-class LHD conduction amphibious operations.

“Reflex Action Mode” means the PAAMS (Principal Anti-Air Missile System) aboard Forbin automatically detected, classified and identified as hostile, tracked and launch the missile to intercept the AASM target with virtually no human intervention. In addition the engagement was realistic because the crew didn’t know from where and when the target would appear.

The PAAMS is a joint French, Italian, and British naval air defense system using the Aster family of missiles. It is fitted aboard the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers and French and Italian Horizon type destroyers.
 
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Norway increases order by two more to now six Type 212CD submarines - Naval News

The Norwegian government has approved the procurement of two additional Type 212CD submarines.
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With advanced situational awareness capabilities, enhanced connectivity with allied units, and an even lower signature, the Class 212CD sets new standards worldwide as the most advanced conventional submarine.

The cooperative approach not only offers a solution that is compatible with NATO forces and meets demanding global operational standards, including those in the Arctic, but also provides advantages in terms of cooperation in research and development, training, crew, logistics, and maintenance. This results in positive effects in terms of costs and added value for German and Norwegian industry.

The German federal government signed the contract for the procurement of its four optional submarines back in December 2024. This increased the number of 212CD submarines ordered from TKMS for the German Navy from the original two to a total of six submarines. With the Norwegian order extension, the program has now reached its planned maximum order volume of twelve submarines.

The next phase involves the possibility of expanding the program to potentially include up to twelve Canadian submarines. TKMS is working with its German and Norwegian partners in the ongoing competitive bidding process to achieve this.
 
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