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Arrowhead 140 design for UK Type 31e frigate revealed
A Babcock-led industry team has officially unveiled the Arrowhead 140 concept as their design for the UK defense ministry’s Type 31e general purpose light frigate program. Babcock, Thales, OMT, BMT, Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine are all part of the team bidding for the UK MoD’s £1.25 billion
Babcock gets £225m contract for Canadian Victoria-class submarine maintenance
UK-based engineering company Babcock has received a £225 million (approx. US$300m) contract for work on the maintenance of Royal Canadian Navy Victoria-class submarines. The three-year contract extension, which will now go into 2021, is the largest naval in-service support contract in Canada, accord
Australia’s second AWD destroyer completes Category 5 sea trials
Australia’s second air warfare destroyer ‘Brisbane’ recently completed her Category 5 (CAT 5) sea trials off the coast of Adelaide, the Royal Australian Navy has announced. The destroyer got underway for the trials in November 2017. The Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance which is in charge of delivering
US Pacific Command gets new name and new commander
A change of command ceremony on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam on May 30 saw the US Pacific Command (PACOM) welcome a new commander as Adm. Phil Davidson relieved Adm. Harry Harris. In addition to receiving a new commander, PACOM also received a new name. Presiding over the ceremony, US defense secr
Four newcomers joining 26-nation naval drill RIMPAC 2018 off Hawaii
The world’s largest international naval exercise – Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) – will be hosting 26 nations, 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel for maneuvers, the US Navy has announced. The exercise is scheduled to take place b
USS The Sullivans tests SM-2 missiles
US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) performed a standard missile (SM-2) launch in the Virginia Capes operating area shortly after deploying as part of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. The destroyer got underway from Naval Station Mayport, Flor
GeoSpectrum to deliver towed acoustic target to Korean Navy
Canada’s GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc (GTI), an Elbit Systems subsidiary, has received a contract to deliver an underwater sound source system (USSS) and software package to the Republic of Korea Navy. The contract was awarded GTI by the South Korean marine propulsion systems cmpany STX Engine Co. T
Royal Navy minehunter Ramsey joins NATO’s SNMCMG1
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ramsey got underway from its homeport of HMNB Clyde last week to start a deployment with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). During its deployment, Ramsey will help with the disposal of historical ordnance left over from conflicts in the Northern Europ
Raytheon upgrading Mississippi radar production facility
US defense contractor Raytheon Company on May 30 announced it is expanding the footprint of its Forest-based manufacturing center. The company said a new building in Forest, Mississippi, will be a hub for test, integration and production of s-band radars – including the US Navy’s next generation SPY
Harry S. Truman CSG returns to operations after Greece visit
US Navy ships centered around the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) returned to US 6th Fleet operations after completing a four day port visit to Souda Bay, Crete, May 23-27. The aircraft carrier docked at the US naval base in Souda Bay while Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Bulkeley do
Gerald R. Ford arresting gear catches first C-2A Greyhound at test site
While the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier already made its milestone first F/A-18F Super Hornet catch at sea with the advanced arresting gear (AAG) system in June last year, the USS Gerald R. Ford is yet to be declared capable of operating a full carrier air wing. The AAG is a next-generation syst
Austal launches first of 21 new Pacific Patrol Boats
Australian shipbuilder Austal on May 30 announced that the first of overall 21 Pacific Patrol Boats was launched after officially starting construction in April 2017. The first vessel in the class is scheduled for delivery to Papua New Guinea in late October 2018. The boats are also known as the Gua
Newly-commissioned USS Portland in Pearl Harbor for combat system qualifications
The US Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock ship, USS Portland (LPD 27), arrived in Pearl Harbor May 29 for combat systems ship qualification trials. During its time in the 3rd Fleet, the ship is also scheduled to take part in the large international exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). Portland
Ship husbanding firm Inchcape to pay $20m for US Navy fraud case settlement
Ship husbanding company Inchcape Shipping Services Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $2o million to settle a US case in which they were accused of knowingly overbilling the US Navy for their services, the US Department of Justice announced May 29. Inchcape is a UK-headquartere