German Navy frigate FGS Hamburg entered her homeport in Wilhelmshaven, Germany on December 20 thereby concluding her duty as flagship of the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG2) during the second half of 2015. On June 25, Rear Admiral Jörg Klein (German Navy) assumed command of SNMG2 in Kiel, German
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command on December 21 awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics two contracts worth $1.255 billion. The first is a $1,171,206,489 advance acquisition contract for the advance procurement of long lead time materials, parts, components and effort to maintain the planned pr
Australian-based shipbuilder Austal announced December 21 that its Austal USA subsidiary has been awarded a contract for $51,7 million to its 11-ship $3.5 billion Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) contract for the U.S. Navy. This contract modification is expected to increase to $198,385,545 over three year
The Royal Navy’s auxiliary ship RFA Lyme Bay has returned home after patrolling the Atlantic, visiting 16 nations, helping with two disaster relief operations, and making a $53million cocaine bust. RFA Lyme Bay sailed into Falmouth, England at the weekend having completed a six-month patrol of the N
Commander Robert Shu relieved Commander Christopher England as the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) during a change of command ceremony at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), December 15. England was Fitzgerald’s comma
The Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri launched ‘Luigi Rizzo’, the sixth of overall ten Multi Mission European Frigates (FREMM) at the Riva Trigoso shipyard in Italy on December 19. Fincantieri is building the 10 FREMM vessels for the Italian Navy within the framework of an Italo-French cooper
The French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R 91) took charge of U.S. Navy’s Commander Task Force 50 on December 20 to conduct first airstrikes against ISIL as the CTF 50 flagship. When the FS Charles de Gaulle entered what is known as the U.S. 5th fleet area of operations on December 7, it [&
The Swedish defence and security company Saab announced December 18 that it signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Material Administration for the yearly overhaul and modification of the Swedish Navy’s Stockholm-class corvettes. The two Swedish Navy vessels are HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmö. The a
Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Jose Enrique Delgado Roig took command of Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) December 18, during a ceremony at Cartagena harbor in Spain. Admiral Delgado Roig received the command from the Portuguese Rear Admiral Alberto Manuel Silvestre Correia, while the new flagshi
The U.S. Navy might have to give up on acquiring 52 littoral combat ships and reduce the number to 40 and decide on only one shipbuilder. U.S Defense Secretary Ash Carter told this to the Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in a December 14 memo, first reported by Defense News. Carter said that the funds saved
Most Read News December 14 – 20, 2015
Russian shipyard Pella announced December 17 that it has completed mooring and sea trials for their factory patrol boat project 03160, commonly called “Raptor”. The boat now has to pass the state tests after which it will be delivered to the customer. The shipyard launched the first of the planned f
The Canadian Navy’s hunter-killer submarine HMCS Windsor returned to Halifax December 17 after a three and a half month deployment to Western European waters. HMCS Windsor, along with HMC Ships Athabaskan, Halifax, Montréal, Goose Bay, and Summerside left Halifax in the early fall. The submarine is
The U.S. Navy announced the christening ceremony of the newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship, USS Omaha (LCS 12), that will take place in Mobile, Alabama, December 19. Omaha, designated LCS 12, honors the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy, who will serve as princi
