DSEI UK: Four warships to be hosted in the Thames

A notable attraction of the DSEI UK events is always the warships that come alongside for the event. Found alongside the Excel Centre in the Thames, the ships make for an impressive sight, and a welcome breath of fresh air. This year, DSEI UK will host four warships, including vessels from the Royal Navy, the Belgian Navy, and the German Navy. The event will also feature waterborne demonstrations of both manned and autonomous vessels.

The visiting ships are scheduled to include:

• HMS Iron Duke, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate.
• HMS Example, a Royal Navy P2000 Archer-class patrol vessel.
• BNS Pollux, a Belgian Navy P902 Castor-class patrol vessel.
• FGS Sachsen, a German Navy F219 Sachsen-class frigate.

The warships will be open for viewing, allowing attendees to move around the ships and engage with crew members. The waterborne demonstrations, which are planned to occur twice daily, will showcase systems such as L3Harris’s Shadow Fox Autonomous Surface Vehicle, ACUA Ocean’s USV Pioneer, and autonomous naval solutions from Latvia’s VIC TEC. The demonstrations are intended to illustrate the integration of autonomous technologies into naval operations.

The K3 Scout is one of Kraken’s surface vessels that can be operated autonomously and integrate a range of different solutions. Credit: Kraken Technologies Group

For example, the UK’s Kraken Technology Group will be running live demonstrations of its K3 Scout, which will also showcase the integration of tube-launched effects onto the vessel. Towards the end of each demonstration, the K3 will show how users can rapidly and securely deploy those effects using the uncrewed launch system that has been fitted to the K3 Scout. Those demonstrations will happen twice daily, from 1030-1115, and 1430-1515, a Kraken representative told Calibre Defence. 

The DSEI UK press release highlighted the recent activities of some of the visiting ships. HMS Iron Duke, a Type 23 frigate, has been involved in Royal Navy exercises, NATO operations, and patrols in Northern Europe and the Baltic. In July 2025, it participated in Exercise Sea Breeze, a maritime training exercise co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine.

BNS Pollux, a Belgian Navy patrol vessel, operates as part of the Belgian Coastguard Structure. Its responsibilities include maritime surveillance, fishery and customs inspections, and search and rescue operations.

FGS Sachsen is the first of the German Navy’s SACHSEN class of air-defence frigates. Commissioned in 2004, she is primarily tasked with protecting naval groups from air and missile threats. Credit: German Navy

FGS Sachsen, a German Navy frigate, is an air-defence vessel equipped with advanced radar systems. It has participated in numerous NATO missions, including deployments with Standing NATO Maritime Groups, Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia, and exercises such as Trident Juncture.

The maritime representation at this year’s event will focus on the integration of conventional and unconventional naval tactics, Rear Admiral (ret) Jon Pentreath, the Senior Naval Advisor for DSEI UK, stated in the press release. He added that the presence of vessels from allied nations reinforces the show’s purpose of promoting international cooperation.

Calibre comment

The Iron Duke has been through a significant modernisation and returned to sea in 2023. Its scheduled out of service date is around the 2035 mark, along with most of the remaining Type 23 fleet. So, this may be one of the last few opportunities to see the vessels for attendees at the show. And all the more interesting to see it alongside the emerging world of autonomous platforms. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on August 28, 2025. The lead image shows HMS Iron Duke, credit is the UK MoD.