40rd calendar week
20251212-L3735
GE
Aerospace Secures Orders for LM2500 Marine Gas Turbines to Power
Next-Generation Arleigh Burke Flight III
Evendale, OH
– December 10, 2025 – GE Aerospace's Marine Engines & Systems has received
orders to supply eight LM2500 marine gas turbine engines for the U.S. Navy's
next two Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers: the future
USS Intrepid (DDG 145) and USS Robert Kerrey (DDG 146). Each destroyer is
powered by four LM2500 engines, providing the proven propulsion power that has
made the Arleigh Burke class the backbone of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet for
over three decades. As of January 2025, 74 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are
active with GE Aerospace’s LM2500 engines being the prime mover for propulsion.
The LM2500 has provided the fleet with unmatched reliability and performance,
enabling the U.S. Navy to focus exclusively on performing its worldwide
mission. With these latest orders, GE Aerospace will have delivered engines for
all active Arleigh Burke destroyers, representing 296 LM2500 engines across 74
ships in what is considered the U.S. Navy’s most successful ship building program...
20251212-L3734
U.S.
Navy Hires Palantir to Reorganize
Shipbuilding
Supply Chain With AI
The U.S. Navy
has awarded a contract worth nearly $450 million to the technology company
Palantir to reorganize the submarine supply chain with advanced AI tools.
Palantir is a leading defense tech contractor with tools for analyzing and
organizing manufacturing activity, sorting through intelligence, and aiding the
process of targeting. It built the mission command platform for U.S. Special
Operations Command,
and it has carried out countless sensor integration and data
projects for the U.S. Army. For the Navy, it will be building Ship OS, a system
to organize parts ordering and delivery for the nuclear sub prime contractors
(Huntington Ingalls and GD Electric Boat) and three public shipyards that
conduct submarine repairs. More than 100 suppliers will be hooked up to the
company's inventory management system in the initial rollout...
20251211-L3733
China’s
New Underwater Drones Could Threaten West Coast U.S.
The vast
expanse of the Pacific Ocean, over 5,000 nautical miles across, protects the
West Coast of the United States against Chinese naval forces in the event of a
war. The appearance of new extra-extra-large underwater drones (XXLUUVs)
changes this, providing China with low-risk options to directly threaten West
Coast ports.
For decades
American strategy in East Asia, focused on a potential conflict with China,
have viewed the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean as both a challenge and an
advantage. While the distances involved make logistics harder (known as the
‘tyranny of distance‘), the U.S. Navy’s superior
conventional power and fact that it would be even harder for Chinese vessels to
reach the U.S., insulate the West Coast of America from Chinese aggression. Any
war would therefore be fought at arm’s length with U.S. forces only at risk in
the immediate theatre of operations. But China may be finding ways to turn this
traditional advantage into a disadvantage.
China is
building the world’s largest underwater drones, the size of traditional
submarines. The first stage of analysis established their existence, and that
they are highly likely uncrewed. It is now time to consider why China is
building them.
China is
testing the two models of extra-extra large underwater drones (XXLUUVs) in the
South China Sea. The largest underwater drones in the world by some margin,
they rival crewed submarines in terms of size. The designs are likely
diesel-electric, per a builders model shown at the defence show, and the same as the U.S. Navy’s much smaller
Boeing Orca XLUUV.
Extremely Long Ranged Underwater Drones
Making
underwater drones so large comes with clear challenges and disadvantages. They
are inherently more expensive, more time consuming to
build, harder to maintain, and require traditional port facilities. So, one or
more of their strengths must outweigh these. Advantages might include a greater
weapons load, or more powerful sensors such as towed sonar arrays. But the
differentiating strength is likely to be the much
greater operational range.
China’s
XXLUUVs will have a range of approximately 10,000 nautical miles. This is based
primarily on published specifications of a similarly sized conceptual XXLUUV
displayed by Chinese shipbuilder at a recent defence
show. It also aligns with rough calculations based on the size of the
submarine.
The designs
are likely diesel-electric, per the builders model
shown at the defence show, and the same as the U.S. Navy’s
much smaller Boeing Orca XLUUV. The defence show
model was armed with torpedoes, mines and could carry smaller underwater
drones. It had a diesel generator and unusually large bank of batteries
replacing the crew space and taking up most of the hull volume.
10,000+ Nautical Mile Range
That design
boasted a 7,000 nautical miles on diesels, presumably
snorkeling, which is comparable to traditional diesel-electric submarines. But
the claimed 3,000 nautical miles submerged is much further; thanks to
its massive bank of modern batteries it can sail
approximately six times further than the best diesel-electric submarines
underwater. This might be used for the final phases of the mission, but it
might also prove useful to help the sub slip through anti-submarine defenses
between the island chains which separate China from the open ocean.
Range could
be further extended by increasing diesel fuel, more batteries, or simply towing
them closer to the target before launch. The batteries specified in the defence show model are lithium-iron (LiFe
PO4), which are safer than the better-known lithium-ion type (note the one
letter difference). While still much more powerful dense than traditional
lead-acid batteries, they are less power dense than lithium-ion. The underwater
range could thus be doubled simply by swapping the batteries to a lithium-ion
type. All these ways could extend the practical range beyond 10,000 nautical
miles. And being an uncrewed platform, however expensive, it can be used as an
expendable system which doubles the operational radius.
Not Just R&D
It may be
tempting, perhaps even reassuring in a wishful way, to suggest that these
vessels are merely a research and development project. China does invest
heavily in naval technology, and many unusual or experimental designs never
progress to active service. Several indicators, however, suggest that this
explanation does not hold here.
The first is
that they are being built and tested in absolute secrecy. Chinese shipyards
tend to draw attention to their pet projects in the hope that somewhere down
the line it will help their order books. We saw this with the ‘sailless submarine’ which can be seen as a precursor to
these. That’s not the case here, these vessels are being hidden in floating
docks and tested from an obscure facility in the South China Sea.
The second
indicator is the scale of large underwater drone development and production.
There were eight XLUUVs (smaller than these XXL types, but still large) present
at the recent military parade in Beijing. They were
five AJX002 minelayers and three larger HSU100s (one of each acted as a spare
for the parade itself). Other navies don’t have eight XLUUVs at all.
The final
reason, and I think the most compelling is that there
are two XXLUUV designs. They are being tested at the same port strongly
indicating that they are being compared. This is a competitive tender, not an
R&D project. We saw the same with Chinese XLUUVs five years ago and now the
winners are in operational service.
Why Does China Want Such Long Ranged Underwater Drones?
Such large
underwater drones could, to some extent, replace crewed submarines. But absent
human decision makers aboard makes them less flexible
and limits them to relatively straightforward missions. Submarines inherently
suffer from poor identification friend or foe, but this is exacerbated on an
uncrewed platform, particularly if the engagement is fully autonomous without a
human in the loop. So they could be sent on minelaying
missions, armed with the new AQS003A deep-water mines shown at the recent military
parade in Beijing. Or to interdict ships but only within clearly defined zones
where all ships can be treated as a target.
When weighing
up the possible missions and what differentiates uncrewed platforms, one
possible reason rises to the surface. These are the sorts of vessels which
could enable China to blockade the West Coast of the United States, or even the
Panama Canal. China’s nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) already have this range
on paper but are not reported to operate in the Eastern Pacific. This is likely
because they are too valuable and are needed in other roles. Having a larger
number of comparatively expendable XXLUUVs might not just change what is
possible, it may change how China fights.
The
“nuclear-AIP” Type 041 Zhou-class submarine, which uses a small nuclear reactor
for indefinite slow cruise, might be addressing similar challenges. It is
possible that these XXLUUVs are a contingency to the one of a
kind Zhou-class, or even vice-versa. But it also seems possible that the
two concepts, one crewed and one uncrewed, will complement each other, and
together push the reach of the PLAN in the Pacific...
20251211-L3732
How safe is
Germany today for dissidents or the politically persecuted?
Threats,
kidnapping, and murder: Cases repeatedly come to light in which dissidents who
fled political persecution in their totalitarian home states and are
subsequently threatened and persecuted in Germany. This phenomenon is known as
"transnational repression."
On
International Human Rights Day, we wanted to know from the German government
what information it has on this issue and which
countries are behind it.
Threats,
kidnapping, and murder: Cases repeatedly come to light in which dissidents who
fled political persecution in their totalitarian home states and are
subsequently threatened and persecuted in Germany. This phenomenon is known as
"transnational repression."
On
International Human Rights Day, we wanted to know from the German government
what information it has on this topic and which
countries are behind it.
Unlike the
Tiergarten murder in Berlin in 2019 or the kidnapping of a Vietnamese
businessman in broad daylight in a Berlin park three years ago, this usually
happens quietly. Hong Kong exile activists and religious persecutors, such as
Uyghurs and Falun Gong practitioners, report systematic surveillance from
Beijing.
"We are
aware of this phenomenon, and law enforcement agencies are investigating the
various cases that have also received media attention," explained Dr.
Sonja Kock, spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Furthermore,
federal and state security authorities are "very closely" monitoring
the phenomenon and are observing it "very carefully."
"It is
perfectly clear that we will not tolerate such activities by other states in
Germany and will take action against them," the spokesperson continued.
The states that are particularly prominent in this regard can be found in the
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's annual report.
The 2024
report on the protection of the constitution (Germany's domestic intelligence
agency) focuses primarily on "transnational repression" in its analysis
of Chinese communist China. The report states that in recent years, Beijing has
established a dense extraterritorial infrastructure through which Chinese
united front organizations gather intelligence.
Through
diaspora associations, liaison offices, and a controlled diaspora press,
potential "dissidents" are identified, isolated, intimidated, or
pressured within the Chinese community in Germany. In recent years, there have
been repeated cases of repression against opposition members originally from
China.
However, the
German domestic intelligence agency also cites Russia, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and
India as countries that persecute their citizens abroad.
20251210-L3731
Thales
and Cohere Partner to Accelerate AI Integration
for
Naval In-Service Support in Canada
This
partnership combines Thales leadership in naval and maritime in-service support
in Canada as well as Thales’ AI incubator, cortAIx,
with Cohere’s expertise in large language models and
AI-powered applications, enabling the rapid delivery of advanced capabilities
to the Canadian Armed Forces. It will also accelerate the development and
secure deployment of agentic AI tools to enhance intelligence and operational
decision-making across projects slated to launch this year. This collaboration
further exemplifies Thales’ support of the Canadian Industrial and
Technological Benefits Policy through partnership with a homegrown global
leader to deliver a sovereign solution for in-service support...
20251210-L3730
Shipping
Dynasties, Royalty Back Modern Sails to Cut Fuel Use
https://gcaptain.com/shipping-dynasties-royalty-back-modern-sails-to-cut-fuel-use/
By Ishika
Mookerjee and Weilun Soon (Bloomberg) — Asian and
Norwegian shipping dynasties are among investors offering support for
modern-day sail technology that claims to have potential to slash the amount of
fuel needed by vessels. The family office of Norway-based shipping group Odfjell
SE and Singapore-based Octave Capital, backed by storied conglomerate Tsao Pao
Chee Group, supported a new $44 million fundraising round for bound4blue, a
developer of wind propulsion systems, the company said on Tuesday. Spain-based
bound4blue’s technology — tube-like structures up to 36 meters (118 feet) high
— suck in wind during a vessel’s journey and use fans to create thrust,
reducing emissions and cutting fuel consumption by as much as 40%, according to
the firm. Maersk Tankers A/S and Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte. are among the
developer’s customers, with the technology so far deployed on seven ships...
20251210-L3729
JD
Vance says mass immigration is stealing the American Dream
https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/news/vance-says-mass-immigration-is-stealing-the-american-dream/
U.S. Vice
President J.D. Vance has intensified his criticism of mass immigration, arguing
it is eroding the “American Dream” and fuelling
soaring living costs for young Americans. His comments come as the Trump
administration accelerates nationwide ICE raids and prepares for what it says
will be the largest deportation operation in US history. Responding to a viral
video from a construction company owner who said immigrant workers had stopped
showing up, Vance wrote on X that “mass migration is theft of the American
Dream,” insisting that analysts who downplay its impact are “paid for by the
people getting rich off the old system.” He has repeatedly linked high housing
prices to the presence of “30 million illegal immigrants,” blaming federal
inaction in previous years for overwhelming the market...
20251210-L3728
TKP
Headlines Today
·
Warning of possible manipulation of state elections in
Germany
·
Pfizer mRNA in blood, placenta, sperm: Study deleted
shortly after publication
·
Belgium in the sights of the war machine
·
"Coalition of the willing" working to
sabotage Ukraine peace talks
·
The European war and repression union: the downfall of
the EU
·
This is the EU Commission's plan for Ukraine
·
Increase in bankruptcies in Sweden's solar industry
·
J.F. Kennedy and "conspiracy
theories"
·
Former head of the US health authority CDC calls for
withdrawal of mRNA Covid syringes
·
Soap opera: "Institute for Science Communication
and Pandemic Preparedness"
·
Will Odessa become Russian?
·
IMF warns against EU use of frozen Russian assets
·
Corona bigwigs on the commission investigating the
fallout from the pandemic
·
Zelensky's talks with Vitkov and Kushner on
territorial boundaries for peace agreement
·
The Japanese massacre in Nanjing, December 13, 1937
·
New release: Resistance begins
on the asphalt
·
Study on adult vaccinations: 38–50% increased risk of
dementia and Alzheimer's
·
Dramatic: Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia
·
Vitality in dark times
·
Why I'm in favor of dissolving the EU
·
US authorities on hepatitis B vaccination for newborns
– a tiny step in the right direction
·
Europe shrinks from 25 to 14 percent of global GDP
·
"Breaking": Corruption in Ukraine
·
Deliberate misinformation: An example
·
The official new US strategy
20251210-L3727
The
Expose Headlines Today
·
London Primary school teacher is banned from working
with children for telling a Muslim pupil that Britain is a Christian country
·
The global rise of online speech policing: From South
Korea to Europe
·
How Starmer Rose to Power Thanks to Secret Campaign
Throttling Free Speech
·
AI initiatives fail 95% of the time – we’re about to
face a crisis no one is talking about
·
UK dictatorship is attempting to scrap jury trials –
Who really benefits?
·
How the India-Russia Alliance Affects US Negotiating
Power
·
The fall of Britain: How has it happened and who’s
caused it?
20251209-L3726
The 117-metre
Lürssen 13797 superyacht Boardwalk has been launched
from the Lürssen Aumund facility in Vegesack, Bremen, Germany.
https://www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/lurssen-yacht-boardwalk-launch
Composed with
a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, this is
the first time that Boardwalk has been seen and her
name revealed since construction began in 2021.
Details surrounding the yacht have been kept tightly under wraps, with her
internal volume estimated to be over 5,000 GT. Boardwalk features a classical
and timeless look created by the design studios of Frank Woll and Amy Halffman.
Her experienced owner has also been deeply involved in her design process,
contributing to everything from the general arrangement and onboard flow to the
interior and exterior styling...
20251209-L3725
Merz under
fire:
German
Chancellor’s 5k complaints against critics coincide with record public
discontent
German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under fire as new reports reveal he has filed
nearly 5,000 “defamation complaints” against online critics while public
dissatisfaction with his government hits unprecedented levels. According to
Welt am Sonntag, Merz pursued thousands of cases between 2021 and early
2025—long before he entered the chancellorship—including actions targeting
individuals who called him names such as “a**hole” or “little Nazi.” In several
instances, police carried out home searches, including one involving a
wheelchair-bound elderly woman whose phone—used to contact doctors and
caregivers—was seized, prompting lawyers to describe the investigations as
disproportionate and “a complete overreaction.” The revelations come alongside
an INSA poll for Bild showing that 70% of Germans disapprove of the
government’s performance, with Merz’s personal approval rating sinking to 23%,
the lowest ever recorded for a sitting chancellor.
20251209-L3724
Total cost
per flight hour: a paltry US$ 655 – US$ 1,100
It's a bit
more expensive if you want to be above your nation 😉
One might find it odd that a
politician attends a wedding in his own plane, which costs around one million
euros, while many people in Germany struggle to cope with rising energy and
food prices. That said, Friedrich Merz's private plane's carbon footprint is actually quite comparable to traveling by car, which isn't
very fuel-efficient. Merz flies the "Diamond DA62" model – a small
twin-propeller plane with a top speed of 356 kilometers per hour. According to
the aviation magazine, it consumes 50 liters of diesel per hour at a cruising
speed of 325 km/h…
20251208-L3723
Dykstra’s
Exo superyacht...
https://www.yachtingworld.com/tag/superyacht
Dykstra’s Exo
superyacht concept borrows the idea of exoskeletons from nature to create wide
open space below decks. Defined as a yacht over 78ft (24m), superyachts are run
by a professional crew and are often built to eye-watering specifications (and
budgets!) For many years, the word superyacht was synonymous with fuel-guzzling
motor boats. It is refreshing, then, to see that many
superyacht designers in recent years returning to
sail, alongside experimenting with form and function. From 100ft wooden yachts
fitted with fully electric systems – taking advantage of advances in clean
energy – to luxury day cruisers and high performance
minded designs, the world of the superyacht sailing boats continues to be an
innovative space...
20251208-L3722
Two
Sailors Found Dead On Yacht In
Suspected Pirate Attack Near South Africa
Two seasoned
sailors were found dead on their yacht Acteon after issuing a distress signal
in the Mozambique Channel, prompting authorities in the region to investigate
the possibility of a pirate-related incident. Australian sailor Deirdre
“Cookie” Sibly and her French companion Pascal were
discovered deceased when police vessels and nearby ships reached the boat on
Thursday. Local officials confirmed that both individuals were found inside the
yacht, though the cause of death remains undetermined. Authorities in South
Africa and Mozambique have not yet linked the deaths to piracy, but
investigations are ongoing...
20251208-L3721
Naval
Group and the Egyptian Navy are extending their -
collaboration
for in-service support of the fleet
The Egyptian
Navy has renewed its contract with Naval Group for the in-service support (ISS)
of the vessels supplied to the Egyptian Navy. With this agreement, both are
strengthening their collaboration focused on fleet availability. Naval Group
and the Egyptian Navy have signed an extension to the ISS contract in force
since 2019. This new agreement covers a period of five years, during which
teams of engineers and technicians will maintain seven vessels: the
multi-mission frigate (FREMM) Tahya Misr, the two Egyptian Landing Helicopter
Docks (E-LHD) Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar El Sadat, and the four Gowind® corvettes El Fateh, Port Said, El Moez and Al
Ismailia.
20251208-L3720
Report24
Headlines Today
·
USA: Hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for
newborns is on the verge of being dropped
·
Lack of transparency: Journal retracts glyphosate
study
·
NYT: Zelenskyy “systematically sabotaged”
anti-corruption efforts
·
Offshore wind in Germany: Auctions flop, expansion
stalls
·
Czech Republic's new government opposes EU migration
pact and climate hysteria
·
Did a left-wing hammer gang leader mock murdered Jews
in court?
·
Many injured in Guadeloupe: “One man” drives vehicle
into Christmas market
·
EU plans major import: Seven million young Muslims
·
Charité expert confirms the danger of the coronavirus
spike protein
·
German lithium – another subsidy bubble?
·
DSA vs. X – The EU escalates the war against freedom
of expression
·
Main investor pulls out: Carbon capture project on the
brink of collapse
·
USAID controlled Ukrainian media with NGOs and massive
funding
·
DEA scandal in the US: Obama officials aided drug and
terror cartel
·
Sanctions? India finds its own way to Russian oil
·
Trump doctrine: The new National Security Strategy
packs a punch
·
Disturbing: Ireland's shadow army reawakens – is
terror returning?
·
EU Blocking Peace – On the Road to Total Surveillance:
Petr Bystron in an Interview
·
Patriots in the EU Parliament: Florian Machl
Dismantles Wind Power Myths in a Lecture in Brussels
·
The $5 Wage – How the Gold Standard Reveals What
Today's Work Is Still Worth
·
BlackRock & Co.: Tokenization for Total Control of
People
·
CO2 Pricing, Social Security, Inflation: Everything
Will Become Even More Expensive in 2026
·
Gates & WHO Plan Digital Vaccine Slavery for All
·
The mRNA Lie Exposed: What Pfizer, Politicians, and
Authorities Covered Up for Years
·
EU Paid €500 Million to Smuggling NGOs from USAID
·
Attack or Staged Event? Mysterious Drones During
Zelenskyy's Visit
·
Climate Panic Debunked: Extinction Rates Have Been
Falling for 100 Years
20251208-L3719
Daily
Telegraph Headlines Today
·
Musk calls for abolition of the EU
·
Hong Kong fire: Contractor misled residents on safety
record before deadly blaze
·
11 killed in South Africa hostel mass shooting
·
Supporters hail removal of ‘legal roadblocks’ to
Albertan independence
·
Dozens of children killed as Sudan kindergarten drone
attack – reports
·
Goa nightclub fire kills 25
·
A pilot’s analysis of the puzzling gaps in AA Flight
77’s final moments on 9/11
·
The scandal Zelensky can’t escape: Inside Ukraine’s
biggest corruption story
·
Irish teacher at the centre
of trans controversy to remain in jail over Christmas
***