Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion has arrived in Oman ahead of the start of an exercise that will see the involvement of over 4,000 British personnel. Exercise Saif Sareea (Swift Sword) is the largest combined military exercise for UK forces since 2002 and HMS Albion will be in charge of
The Royal Navy’s second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier – the future HMS Prince of Wales – received its navigation bridge, five months ahead of schedule. The Aircraft Carrier Alliance which is in charge of constructing the two carriers said the delivery of the bridge was originally planned fo
At the beginning of October, the third of Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new tankers headed to sea to begin military trials. RFA Tidesurge (A138) — one of four Tide-class ships built to support the new carriers and their battle groups — has already proven her seakeeping abilities courtesy as she arrived in
F-35 Lightning jets achieved another milestone during flight trials on board the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth by completing first night-time landings. Britain’s biggest warship is currently conducting flight testing off the east coast of the United States and part of that is pract
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia announced it has received a contract extension for the maintenance of four US Navy destroyers forward-deployed to the Spanish Navy base Rota. The original contract first entered into force in November 2013 and includes one-year extension options until November 2020. Acco
Ships and personnel from the US, Spain, Germany and France concluded the four-day Smart Defense Exercise (SMARTEX) on September 28. SMARTEX is a NATO initiative designed to enhance interoperability and training between participating countries. During the exercise, Spanish sailors embarked aboard the
The Ukranian Navy has shared video footage of a Russian Su-27 fighter aircraft buzzing Ukrainian Gurza-M artillery boats during recent exercises. Apart from sharing the video on social media, the Ukrainian Navy did not provide specific info on when or where exactly the flyover took place. The navy o
The navies of Finland and Estonia have started the joint Baltic Shield 2018 exercise in the Archipelago Sea and Gulf of Finland. The exercise got underway on October 1 and is scheduled to conclude October 11. Baltic Shield 2018 is a mine counter-measures and firing exercise for vessel units of the F
UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson on September 30 announced the name of another Type 26 frigate and revealed that the Royal Navy assault ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion would not be scrapped. Speaking in Birmingham, Williamson said that the fourth of the UK’s eventual eight Type 26 frigates wil
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond got underway from Portsmouth on September 29 for maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea. The Type 45 destroyer will provide reassurance to allies in the region throughout the autumn. The deployment follows a busy few months for HMS Diamond and her crew
The lead ship of the German Navy’s K130 corvettes, the FGS Braunschweig, is returning from a five-month mission in Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The corvette, manned by the “Charlie” crew, is scheduled to return to her homeport in Warnemünde on October 5. C
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