The future HMNZS Aotearoa, the biggest ever vessel to be built for the Royal New Zealand Navy, is taking shape and is ready for launch in South Korea. Aetorea is being constructed at Hyundai Heavy Shipbuilding’s Ulsan shipyard and is scheduled to be launched within the next two weeks, according to t
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose arrived in Bahrain on April 3 to start a three-year mission in the Persian Gulf state. Montrose sailed into the UK’s new support facility in Bahrain after a six-month journey, which saw her cover 47,000-miles from her home in Plymouth. From Bahrain, she will conduct r
The BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness shipyard was evacuated on April 10 after a bomb was reported to have been found on one of the Royal Navy nuclear submarines under construction at the yard. An estimated 1,700 staff are believed to have been evacuated in the process. “Following an extensive sweep of
The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems a multi-year contract for the purchase of 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The $3.1 billion contract is in support of full rate production for fiscal years 2019-2023. This is the second MYP contract awarded to the compa
US Navy Secretary (SECNAV) Richard V. Spencer is to issue a secretarial letter of censure to former USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) commanding officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson and former crew member Lt. Natalie Combs, for their role in the deadly collision off Japan in June 2018. The destroyer collided with Filip
German Navy F124 frigate FGS Hessen is scheduled to depart its Wilhelmshaven homeport on April 11 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2). The air-defense frigate will replace another German vessel currently deployed to the mission in the Aegean Sea. Combat support ship Bonn deployed to
The Royal Australian Air Force has received its eighth Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, Australia’s defense minister announced on April 9. The aircraft number eight had been identified as RAAF’s long-term fatigue management aircraft and had been fitted with a raft of diagnostic equipment, acc
An international search is underway in the Pacific Ocean for a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A fighter jet, which disappeared from radar at around 7:30pm local time on April 9. The F-35A lost radar contact approximately 85 miles east of Misawa Air Base. Media reports quoting Japanese mili
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) got underway from Naval Station Norfolk on April 8 for its flight deck certification and for first flight ops since the summer of 2017. The ship recently completed a planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard as part of the m
The Finnish defense ministry has selected Sweden’s Saab as the preferred bidder for the development and delivery of combat systems for the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 vessels. Finland’s defense minister Jussi Niinistö announced on April 8 that Saab’s offer performed best in the comparison of quotat
The Polish government has signed an EUR 90 million offset agreement with Leonardo MW which will precede a contract for the delivery of AW101 helicopters for the Polish Navy’s anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations. While the helicopters will be delivered from the Leonardo MW Yeovil
Royal Navy pilots flying UK F-35B jets in Cyprus will mark the first time in over a decade UK naval aviators are operating overseas. Two months of training in the eastern Mediterranean is lined up for the men and women of the Lightning Force in preparation for their first spell of training aboard HM
US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and ships from its carrier strike group (CSG) arrived in the US 6th Fleet area of operations on April 8, seven days after getting underway from Norfolk. The strike group, which includes the aircraft carrier, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte
The US Navy recently completed developmental testing of the AN/AQS-20C (Q-20C) towed minehunting sonar, bringing the mine countermeasure system a step closer to joining the fleet. The Q-20C has advanced acoustic and electro-optic sensing capabilities that will detect, localize and classify bottom, c
