Surface Warships 2018

13.07.2017

Surface Warships - London UK 2018

Surface Warships 2018 is being held in London, UK from 23 to 24 January.

The focus of Surface Warships is on the mainstay of modern naval forces; corvettes, frigates and destroyers. For the 6th edition a thematic balance is struck between operational / strategic discussion, and the design and construction of the platforms themselves, their combat systems, communications and armaments.

A key theme is the quality versus quantity debate which considers high-cost, high-capability vessels versus larger numbers of lower-tech platforms, both as adversaries and as internal procurement options, and what this means for the composition of a navy.

The conference will examine concerns relating to ship design, in particular the need for area and near-peer denial versus humanitarian considerations / disaster relief, and what this means for future platforms. There is increasing need for a modular approach to ship design, in order to guarantee that a high-cost platform is also high-capability.

A consistent theme is ensuring interoperability between high-end vessels in order to improve coordination and fighting ability, specifically focusing on NATO nations’ modernisation and procurement efforts, in order to reduce the cost-burden to individual navies and ensure that allied vessels form a seamlessly integrated fighting force.

The dedicated focus day on Naval Combat Systems is a new addition to the Surface Warships programme devoted to specific, in-depth, discussions and briefings from global thought-leaders and practitioners in the Combat Systems field. This will address topics around modernisation, modularity, interoperability, integration and acquisition of Naval Combat Systems. Including in-depth analysis on how the modernization and development of advanced Naval Combat Systems is further increasing the capability of existing and planned platforms and how this could enable navies to modernize and upgrade existing platforms more expediently.

Led by senior military and industry personnel, attendees will have the opportunity to gain both strategic and technical insight from naval leadership and subject matter experts, including information on long-term plans and goals, defining best practice and understanding how the application of the latest technologies can enable delivery of greater effect by naval forces.