Warships from eight nations arrived in Greece for the annual exercise Ariadne which will be taking place from March 31 to April 7. In addition to ships, naval officers from some ten countries will be attending the exercise in the Ionian Sea in the Gulf of Patras. NATO ships from the Standing Mine Co
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia launched the Spanish Navy’s fifth BAM (Buque de Acción Marítima) ship on March 30 at its Cadiz-San Fernando shipyard. Named Audaz, (which translates to bold or audacious) the modular offshore patrol vessel is the fifth of overall nine units the Spanish Navy plans to acqu
The Australian government on Friday released the Request for Tender (RFT) for the Royal Australian Navy’s $35 billion Future Frigate project. The RFT was issued to the three shortlisted designers: British BAE Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri and Spain’s Navantia. Minister for Defence Industry, Christoph
French shipbuilder DCNS has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesian shipyard PT PAL to increase cooperation in the fields of submarine and surface ship construction. The MoU confirmation comes following the visit of French president François Hollande to Indonesia. Indonesia wants
Royal Australian Navy’s hydrographic ship HMAS Melville rescued over 400 stranded guests and staff from Daydream Island off Queensland, after tropical cyclone Debbie hit the region. The hydrographic ship was operating near Townsville when the cyclone hit the Whitsunday Islands, and followed the tail
The U.S. Coast Guard will hold a commissioning ceremony for the National Security Cutter (NSC) Munro on Saturday in Seattle.. Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft will preside over the ceremony, accepting the sixth NSC into the military se
The U.S. Coast Guard hosted naval forces from the Arab Republic of Egypt and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, March 12-23. Per the USCG Maritime Engagement Team (MET) syllabus, the engagement “is designed to sh
Norway’s plans to replace its ageing fleet of P-3 Orion and DA-20 Jet Falcon maritime patrol aircraft became official on Wednesday with the signing of a contract for the acquisition of the Boeing built P-8A. The contract for five aircraft was signed by the Norwegian defense equipment agency, on beha
The U.S. Coast Guard released a draft request for proposal (RFP) for procurement of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for the national security cutters (NSCs). Issued on March 28, the draft invites industry sources to comment, ask questions and provide feedback by May 15, 2017. The Coast Guard
Photos: EUNAVFOR Spanish Navy’s counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa are enhanced by the presence of an unmanned aerial vehicle which helps prevent, or respond timely to potential attacks. A crew from Spain’s 11th Squadron, which is usually based in Cadiz, is currently deployed with Operati
The U.S. Navy’s Sterett-Dewey surface action group, composed of destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Dewey (DDG 105), is set to depart San Diego on March 31 to start their Western Pacific deployment. The destroyers are accompanied by command staff of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 31 and the embark
The U.S. Navy announced it would christen its newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), on Saturday, April 1, at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The future Thomas Hudner is named in honor of naval aviator and Medal of Honor recipient Thomas J. Hudner J
U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy diving and salvage experts on March 30 wrapped up nearly two weeks of salvage training as part of the broader bilateral exercise Foal Eagle. SALVEX, short for salvage exercise, began on March 21 and featured joint diving and salvage operations, both in-port and
Ships from the U.S. Navy’s Carl Vinson carrier strike group joined Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships for an at-sea bilateral exercise in the East China Sea. The U.S. Navy and JMSDF operated together March 26-29 to increase proficiency in basic maritime skills and improve response capab
