Babcock launches warship data platform, MBDA unveils high-speed missile as US Air Force advances ERAM and HH-60W replacement

From Paris Euronaval to US Air Force bases, recent naval and air equipment developments show several parallel threads: warship construction and support data are being folded into a single digital environment; high-speed long-range strike missiles are awaiting development contracts; low-cost cruise missiles stress producibility at scale; and helicopter replacement has entered delivery and training preparation. Together they point to the same requirement: connecting platforms, munitions and support systems into usable combat power in less time.

'Pelorus' links warship construction, operations and maintenance data on one platform

Babcock International launched its Pelorus digital platform at the Euronaval defense trade show in Paris, aiming to connect warship construction, operations and maintenance data. The company says the platform already operates in selected Babcock-managed maritime construction and support environments and can integrate information from multiple systems to track shipbuilding progress, commissioning and trials, fleet availability, maintenance and logistics. Babcock did not disclose specific deployments or customers, nor did it provide figures on the platform's impact on fleet availability or maintenance costs. ^[1] In business terms, Babcock is building five Type 31 frigates for Britain's Royal Navy at its Rosyth yard in Scotland and maintaining and upgrading British nuclear-powered submarines at Devonport and Clyde; extending construction-phase data into full-life support is precisely the management challenge for such long-term warship programs. ^[1]

MBDA discloses 'Stratus RS' high-speed strike missile, with range to far exceed Exocet

MBDA officials at Euronaval in Paris said the future Stratus RS high-speed strike missile will have a range 'far, far, far' beyond that of the Exocet anti-ship missile, which has a range of more than 200 kilometers. The missile will cover four mission sets, including deep strike, anti-ship strike, suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses, and strikes against large aircraft including airborne early warning aircraft and tankers. ^[2] Stratus RS is being developed for France and the United Kingdom, and MBDA is awaiting a development contract from France's Directorate General for Armament on behalf of the two partners; meanwhile, the company is also developing Stratus LO, a stealthy subsonic cruise missile with a larger warhead, for France, the United Kingdom and Italy. ^[2]

MBDA says Stratus RS will use a throttleable liquid ramjet and have high maneuverability; its seeker will combine a radio-frequency seeker with synthetic aperture radar, giving the missile land-attack and top-attack capabilities, with Thales providing seeker technology. The missile can combine very low or very high trajectories in flight to counter difficult targets such as frigates, destroyers or ground-based air defense systems. ^[2]

US Air Force seeks ERAM for Ukraine, stressing 'affordable mass'

The US Air Force issued a Request for Information asking industry whether it can provide the Extended Range Attack Munition intended for Ukraine. ERAM is a small air-launched standoff missile intended for mass production, with a response deadline of Nov. 19. ^[3][6] Specifications include a 500-pound class weapon, a range of more than 250 nautical miles, a speed of more than Mach 0.6, terminal accuracy within 10 meters even under jamming conditions such as degraded GPS, and both blast/fragmentation and limited penetration effects. ^[3][6]

The schedule requirements are equally demanding: contractors should begin delivering the first batch of more than 1,000 ERAMs no later than three months after contract award and complete delivery within 15 months. In 2024, the US Air Force awarded prototype contracts to Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire, and in January 2026 it conducted a live warhead test at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. ^[3][6] Reports also said that in August 2025 the Trump administration announced the sale of 3,350 ERAMs to Ukraine worth $825 million; in June 2026, Ukrainian media said Ukrainian forces had used the AGM-188A 'Rusty Dagger' to strike the Voronezh semiconductor plant, which produces components for Russian missiles. ^[3][6]

First HH-60W arrives at Joint Base Andrews to replace nearly 60-year-old Huey fleet

Joint Base Andrews received its first HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, the first new rotary-wing aircraft at the base in nearly 60 years. The aircraft flew from Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut, plant and arrived with a 5th Helicopter Squadron crew; the first of an initial batch of 26 arrived at the Maryland base in a Monday ceremony and will gradually replace 26 aging UH-1N Hueys. ^[4] The 5th Helicopter Squadron is the first unit to field the type, while the 1st Helicopter Squadron will continue using the Huey until conversion; the HH-60W is expected to reach initial operational capability in 2029 and full operational capability in 2030. ^[4]

Compared with the Huey, the HH-60W has a larger airframe, greater fuel capacity, flies faster and farther, and has three times the airlift capability. Because the aircraft arrived directly from the factory, it has not yet been modified for its mission; some squadron personnel plan to begin familiarization training with Sikorsky-certified crews in January 2027. ^[4]

The Akula class's Cold War mission: tracking Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines

Looking back at the Cold War anti-submarine race, one of the core missions of the Soviet Project 971 Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarines was to find and track US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. Moscow originally planned to build 25 boats, calculated at two for each Ohio-class submarine on patrol, corresponding to 10 Ohio-class boats; ultimately only 15 entered service, and 3 to 4 remain today. ^[5] The class was equipped with the SOKS wake-detection system to pick up submarine trails. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, funding was interrupted, the order was cut to 20, of which five were never completed, one was leased to India for 10 years, and 15 served. ^[5]

Russia says one Akula-class submarine tracked an Ohio-class boat in its patrol area in 1996, a claim that appeared in the citation awarding the submarine's captain the title Hero of the Russian Federation; Washington has never confirmed or denied it. In 2012, another report said an Akula-class submarine had lurked undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for a month, and both navies denied it. ^[5]

Common trend: data, range and scale become key terms in equipment competition

Taken together, competition in maritime equipment is no longer only about individual ship performance: Babcock is trying to use Pelorus to link construction, trials, maintenance and logistics data, while MBDA is using Stratus RS and Stratus LO to cover high-speed penetration and stealthy cruise mission sets, emphasizing strikes against air defense systems, large aircraft and surface ships. ^[1][2] The US Air Force's ERAM makes 'affordable mass' a requirement, with a 500-pound class, more than 250 nautical miles of range and a rapid delivery schedule to serve the Ukraine battlefield; the HH-60W delivery shows that replacing older platforms requires years of training, modification and building operational capability. ^[3][6][4] From a historical perspective, the Akula class's tracking mission against Ohio-class boats shows that undersea deterrence and anti-submarine hunting have always been among the most sensitive dimensions of sea power competition. ^[5] Going forward, watch the actual deployment results of Pelorus, when the Stratus RS development contract starts, the first ERAM delivery milestones, and the HH-60W's progress toward operational capability around 2029.