F/A-18 jets from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz have started flying sorties from the Persian Gulf targeting ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria. This is the first time the carrier and ships from its carrier strike group are supporting operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition fight against ISIS,
French shipbuilder Naval Group (former DCNS) has appointed a new executive director to work with the Commonwealth of Australia on the Australian Future Submarine program. Jean-Michel Billig, the Australia executive director joined Naval Group in May 2017 as special advisor to Hervé Guillou, Presiden
A U.S. Army watercraft unit based out of Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, took part in the U.S. Navy’s quarterly trilateral exercise in the Persian Gulf, from July 24-26, 2017. The trilateral exercise incorporated the U.S. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard, along with the Kuwaiti Navy and Coast Guard, and I
In addition to quantity, dredging works that helped prepare Portsmouth Harbour for the arrival of new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers have revealed lots of interesting items. More than 20,000 items, ranging from shoes to sea mines, have been found during the dredging of the approach to the H
Shortly after receiving the first production contract for its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), Lockheed Martin conducted the first-ever launch of the surface-launch variant from a topside canister. The flight test, taking place at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on July 26, proved the mi
German Navy’s newest frigate and the lead ship in its class, the future FGS Baden-Württemberg, has missed its scheduled July 28 commissioning date as it is yet to be handed over by the shipbuilders. According to German news site Wilhelmshavener Zeitung, FGS Baden-Württemberg is still undergoing adju
Russian shipbuilder Admiralty Shipyards has laid the keel for the first two of an additional six Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric submarines (NATO reporting name: improved Kilo-class). The ceremony took place on Friday, July 28, in St. Petersburg. The two submarines will be named Pet
Responding to the possibility of new UK aircraft carriers operating in the South China Sea, China’s foreign ministry said the deployment would only “stir up trouble”. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang made these remarks after UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson hinted at the possibility of t
Warships and submarines from all fleets of the Russian Navy paraded in front of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin in a ceremony that lasted an hour and a half. Overall 40 vessels participated in Russian Navy Day celebrations in Saint Petersburg on July 30. The nav
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose has returned to Plymouth after successful machinery and weapons trials at sea, the navy said. Montrose returned to port three weeks after leaving dry dock where it spent three years undergoing a mid.life upgrade. The ship’s engines have been pushed to the li
Australian shipbuilder Austal on Monday held a keel-laying ceremony for the first vessel of the Australian government’s Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPB-R) Project. Defense industry minister Christopher Pyne authenticated the keel by committing his signature to a plate that was subsequently weld
The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford recovered and launched its first fixed-wing aircraft less than a week after being commissioned into the fleet. The milestone took place off the coast of Virginia on June 28, with the first arrested landing occurring at 3:10 PM (EST) and the
New Zealand, Japan and the U.S. sent their units to Guam where they will be taking part in a multinational anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise off the coast of Guam, from July 31 to August 12. GUAMEX will include multiple aircraft and subsurface assets from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, t
Australian government-owned shipbuilder ASC on Monday opened new facilities in Henderson that will increase the efficiency of the maintenance and sustainment of Australia’s submarine fleet. The $13 million upgrade enables the co-location of essential facilities, which will deliver a significant incr
