The Belgian government on Friday, January 26, decided to give the department of defense its green light for the acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels. The order will be placed jointly with the Netherlands Navy which will acquire an identical number of MCM ships. In addition to mine coun
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin Aculight Corp. a $150 million contract for work on the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System, previously known as the Seasaber. The contract will see Lockheed Martin develop, manufacture, and deliver two High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical
The Canadian government has awarded Raytheon Canada a CAD$704 million contract for the upkeep and upgrades of close-in weapon systems (CIWS) aboard Royal Canadian Navy ships. The in-service support contract will be valid until late 2037, and comprises an initial 10-year service period with three opt
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) earlier this month to start preparations for her 27-month refueling overhaul, the US Navy announced. In a first for NNSY, Enlisted Women at Sea ship alterations will be performed onboard, modifying
The Australian federal government has unveiled a new defense export strategy aimed at turning Australia into a major defense exporter. The document, unveiled by defense industry minister Christopher Pyne on Monday, sets out the policy and strategy to make Australia one of the top ten global defense
US Navy’s Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) arrived to Pearl Harbor on January completing a homeport change from Groton, Connecticut. Missouri is now assigned to Submarine Squadron 1, and is the sixth Virginia-class submarine stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. “I
The US Coast Guard medically evacuated an injured sailor from US Navy destroyer USS Spruance offshore of Palos Verdes on January 27. US Coast Guard sector Los Angeles-Long Beach was notified of a 20-year-old crewmember who had sustained a leg injury aboard the USS Spruance (DDG-111). After consultin
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The Italian Navy on January 25 received the first Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II aircraft assembled at the Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) in Cameri, Italy. This is the first F-35B built outside the United States. The Italian FACO is operated by Leonardo in conjunction
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay hosted personnel from the US and Royal Navy for exercise Azraq Serpent 18 (AS18). The five-day exercise started January 14 and was aimed at developing interoperability between the two partners across the medical domain in the US 5th fleet area of operations. T
A New Zealand Defence Force aircraft and an Australian Navy frigate joined forces in the Western Indian Ocean to interdict 915 kilos of heroin worth AUD$274 million. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft detected a suspicious vessel on January 23 prompting a boarding and investigation by the
The US Navy announced it is starting a mission to survey the downed C-2A Greyhound aircraft that crashed into the Philippine Sea en route to aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on November 22. The navy will carry out the mission with help from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s research vessel R/V Pet
The US Navy has carried out another Harpoon Block II+ missile test at the Point Mugu Sea Test Range on January 22. The latest test demonstrated the missile’s ability to talk with the newest F/A-18’s software upgrade as the interface becomes operational on the F/A-18 Super Hornet system. The upgrade,
Looking for new technologies to improve the operation of unmanned underwater vehicles, the Royal Navy used the Maritime Enterprise Innovation Scotland Conference (MEISC) to set challenges for developers. During the conference, held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on January 24, two speci
