The Australian defense ministry announced it is buying the second of a planned fleet of six MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft. Australia is acquiring the Tritons through a cooperative program with the United States Navy. The MQ-4C is being acquired to complement Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol ai
The US State Department has approved a possible sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to India under a deal which, in case it is realized, would cost an estimated $2.6 billion. In addition to helicopters, the ale would include APS-153(V) multi-mode radars, a thousand sonobuoys, AGM-114 Hellfir
The US Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) arrived in Subic Bay, on March 30, ahead of exercise Balikatan. Wasp arrived in the Philippines with embarked Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) 4, which are led by 4th Marine Regiment. This will
Fincantieri Marinette Marine has hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the US Navy’s future littoral combat ship USS Marinette (LCS 25). During a March 27 ceremony in which the beginning of the ship’s construction was formally marked, the ship’s sponsor Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, ha
Royal Navy auxiliary landing ship dock RFA Mounts Bay served as the test bed for a mobile US Navy minehunting force during a recent test off the coast of Virginia. The test included helicopters, divers, remote-controlled boats and automated surveying machines and was intended to see whether a task f
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division a $1.47 billion contract for the detail design and construction of the amphibious transport dock LPD 30. The ship will be the 14th in the San Antonio class and the first Flight II LPD. LPD 30 is
US Navy’s sixth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named in honor of Korean War veteran, and Navy Cross Recipient, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, the US Navy secretary has announced. Neal, a native of Springfield, Ohio, served with Helicopter Utility Squadron ONE (
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Australia-based shipbuilder Austal a $261.7 million contract for additional work on Expeditionary Fast Transport Ships (EPF) 13 and 14. The contract award extends the EPF program to 2022, with construction of EPF 13 to commence in late 2019 and EPF 14 to
US Navy and Marine Corps units are wrapping up two weeks of joint drills as part of exercise Pacific Blitz 2019 in and off the coast of Southern California. The scenario-driven field-training exercise kicked off March 12 and is set to conclude on Tuesday, March 26. The exercise involved command and
US Navy ships from the Japan-based US 7th Fleet took part in what the navy termed the most advanced tactical training necessary for blue water combat. For the first time ever, three guided missile destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, and two amphibious ships of the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces com
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $2 billion contract modification to procure long lead time material to support construction of Block V Virginia-class submarines. The award modifies a contract awarded in 2017 that provides funding for long lead time mater
US Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf pulled into Sasebo, Japan, earlier this month after supporting the enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) sanctions on North Korea. Bertholf was tasked with preventing illicit ship-to-ship transfers that violate North Korea sanctions. The pa
US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55 and commercial shipping industry representatives joined forces recently to complete exercise Lucky Mariner 19. The annual exercise concluded March 15 and was led by the task force’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) detachment designed to exercise comma
Spain could buy BAE Systems-built assault amphibious vehicles(AAV) following a US State Department approval for the possible sale of 11 AAVs to the European country. As outlined in the approval, announced on March 15, Spain is looking to buy 11 AAVs in three different configurations under a deal tha
