Ships and personnel from U.S., UK and France have kicked off the two-week multilateral amphibious exercise Alligator Dagger 17. The drill is taking place in international waters off the coast of Djibouti and in the vicinity of Djibouti and Arta Beach, between April 5 and 20. Participating forces inc
U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) completed ballistic missile defense (BMD) certification on April 5, off the coast of Southern California as part of deployment preparations. The goal of BMD is to use surveillance and interception techniques to defend the U.S
U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the Eisenhower carrier strike group have been ready to deploy on short notice ever since they returned from their 2016 deployment. Now, approximately 6,000 sailors are conducting a sustainment exercise (SUSTEX) to maintain their readiness and capability to deploy should
The UK Royal Marines are being restructured to better fit the changing Royal Navy fleet, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, some 200 Royal Marine roles are being repurposed with around half of them being backroom function roles, like drivers and
U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) arrived in Sasebo, Japan, on April 10, completing its regularly-scheduled patrol in the 7th Fleet area of operations. Bonhomme Richard previously stopped in White Beach, Okinawa, to disembark personnel, vehicles and equipment of the 31st
Ships from eight countries have concluded their participation in the Hellenic Navy-led mine countermeasures (MCM) exercise Ariadne 17. The exercise took place between March 31 and April 7. The at-sea phase started April 3 in Greek territorial waters after a planning and harbour phase was conducted a
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Cohort company SEA a contract to upgrade the ambient noise prediction system (ANPS) for the Royal Navy. The ANPS takes meteorological and oceanographic forecasts, together with oceanographic databases, and performs complex acoustic propagation calculations to p
The Finnish Defence Forces’ Logistics Command announced the names of three shortlisted combat system bidders for its Squadron 2020 project vessels. Of a total of 8 companies competing for the contract, Finland has chosen German Atlas Elektronik GmbH, the Canadian Lockheed Martin Canada Inc and the S
A Royal Navy Lynx Mk 8 helicopter recently performed air carriage and jettison trials of the MBDA-made Sea Venom/ANL anti-ship missile. According to the missile manufacturer, the trials proved that the missile can be integrated onto the Lynx and Super Lynx helicopters. Sea Venom/ANL has been develop
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched the bow section of Italian Navy’s new logistic support ship in a March 10 ceremony in Riva Trigoso, Italy. The launched bow section is 94 meters long, 24 meters wide, 16.3 meters high, and weighs about 4.100 tons. It will now be transported by sea to the ship
The Royal New Zealand Navy announced that its newest and largest ever ship to be built will be named HMNZS Aotearoa. The Aotearoa will be an ice-going tanker built in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries. Construction of the new 24,000-tonne vessel will start next year and is expected to be deliv
Indian and Chinese Navy ships prevented pirates from hijacking a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden late on April 8. The captain of the Tuvalu-registered bulk carrier MV OS 35 sent a distress call after the pirates attacked and boarded the vessel. The vessel’s crew locked themselves in a strong roo
The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific ordered the U.S. Navy’s Carl Vinson carrier strike group to change course and head towards the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea’s advancing weapons tests. The change of direction was announced on Saturday by the U.S. Pacific Command after the sh
The U.S. Navy christened its 67th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) during a ceremony on April 8. DDG 117 is named in honor of Paul Ignatius, who served as the United States’ 59th Secretary of the Navy from 1967 to 1969. He made significant contributions during the administration
