The Swedish Navy’s two new A26 submarines will be named HSwMS Blekinge and HSwMS Skåne, Sweden’s defense ministry announced on January 16. The names of the two new submarines were approved by Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf, according to the Swedish Navy ship naming tradition, the defense ministry said
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia held a steel cutting ceremony at its San Fernando shipyard on January 15 to officially mark the start of construction of the first Royal Saudi Navy Avante 2200 corvette. The ceremony was attended by company officials and representatives from the navies of Saudi Arabia an
German Navy minehunter FGS Dillingen will be departing its Kiel homeport on January 21 to join the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group (SNMCMG1) for a six-month deployment. The vessel will first head for Zeebruge, Belgium, where it will join the international task group. After Dillingen joins
Frigates, destroyers and an aircraft carrier from four nations are currently underway in the Persian Gulf as part of the annual, multinational exercise Intrepid Sentinel 2019. The multilateral exercise is designed to increase capability and interoperability between the four nations. According to pho
The Spanish Navy’s Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate ESPS Méndez Núñez (F 104) arrived at Naval Station Norfolk on January 14 where it will become part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 and conduct joint training and exercises. Méndez Núñez, homeported in Ferrol, Spain, was commissioned in 2006. She join
Swedish defense contractor announced it has been contracted to deliver its TactiCall communication system for the three new Norwegian Coast Guard vessels. The company said it entered an agreement with Vard Group AS, the main contractor on the Norwegian Coast Guard project P6615, to take on the commu
Royal Navy survey ship HMS Protector broke through nearly 300 miles of Antarctic ice to help scientists begin a five-year mission to understand how West Antarctica is contributing to global sea-level rise. Working together with British Antarctic Survey’s vessel RRS Ernest Shackleton, the Plymouth-ba
Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose arrived at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday, becoming the first Royal Navy ship to do so in 20 years. Welcoming the frigate to Auckland was the crew of Royal New Zealand Navy multi-purpose vessel HMNZS Canterbury who performed the traditional hak
US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) assumed the role of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) flagship in a change of command ceremony in Denmark on January 14. US Navy Rear Adm. Edward Cashman assumed command of SNMG1 from Royal Danish Navy Commodore Anders F
The French Navy officially received its first Rafale M fighter jet upgraded to the F3-R standard in a ceremony at the Landivisiau Naval Air Base. The first flight of F3-R from Landivisiau took place on December 17, the defense ministry said. The aircraft was delivered after the upgrade was approved
The US Navy has selected a Navy SEAL to serve as Fleet Master Chief for the first time in the service’s history, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa commander Adm. James G. Foggo III has announced. Force Master Chief Derrick Walters will succeed Fleet Master Chief Raymond Kemp as Fleet Master Chief for US
The Romanian defense ministry on January 11 announced it is suspending the tender for the procurement of four new multi-role corvettes and upgrades of two frigates currently in service with the Romanian Navy. As explained by the ministry, the procedure was put on hold until irregularities discovered
