Amphibious & Support Ships
French frigate seizes heroin in Indian Ocean
French Navy frigate FS La Fayette seized over 400 kilos of heroin from a dhow it intercepted in the Indian Ocean in an operation on April 11. The drugs were intercepted after La Fayette’s Panther helicopter detected a suspicious vessel while on a routine surveillance in the international waters of t
NATO SNMCMG1 completes ordnance disposal ops off France
Ships from Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) wrapped up historical ordinance disposal operations (HODOPS) with the French Navy entering Saint Malo, France, for a port visit on April 15. During the HODOPS, SNMCMG1 surveyed more than 90 square kilometers in Dieppe Bight, on the Fr
HMS Forth enters service
HMS Forth, the first of Royal Navy’s five new Batch-2 River-class offshore patrol vessels, entered service in a ceremony held at her Her Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth, on April 13. At the ceremony, the ship’s Lady Sponsor, Rachel Johnstone-Burt, was joined by UK government and defense officials, a
First full-British F-35B aerial refueling takes place over South Carolina
UK’s F-35B Lightning jets which will be operated by the Royal Navy and Air Force recently achieved another first in their preparation for operations in UK skies. The Royal Navy has now shared photos of what it says is a first “full-British” aerial refueling of F-35B jets. To travel 4,134-miles acros
BAE Systems investing in AI, electronic warfare research
UK defense contractor BAE Systems has announced a £10 million (approx. $14.2m) investment into upgrades of the Maritime Integration & Support Centre (MISC) aimed at improving research into artificial intelligence, information and electronic warfare, unmanned vehicles and new weapons. Located in Port
Russian Navy receives logistics support ship Elbrus
Russian Navy’s new Project 23120 logistic support vessel ‘Elbrus’ has completed acceptance trials and was delivered to the navy’s auxiliary fleet. Elbrus was subsequently commissioned into the Northern Fleet in a ceremony held on April 4, according to the shipbuilder. Elbrus will be followed by a se
Irish Navy’s fourth offshore patrol vessel enters water
The Irish Navy’s fourth Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), future LÉ George Bernard Shaw, was floated out at Babcock’s Appledore, North Devon, shipyard, the shipbuilder has announced. The float out of the 90-meter ship was attended by representatives from the Irish Naval Service and
Turkish Navy commissions second landing ship TCG Sancaktar
The Turkish Navy commissioned its second Landing Ship Tank (LST) ‘Sancaktar’ in a ceremony on April 7, the Turkish undersecretary for defense industries announced. The commissioning of TCG Sancaktar comes almost exactly a year after the lead ship in the class, the TCG Bayraktar, was commissioned on
Counter-piracy operation welcomes new force commander
The EU-led counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia has welcomed a new force commander in a ceremony held in Djibouti on April 5. Italian Navy Rear Admiral Simone Malvagna will now be in charge of operation Atalanta from aboard his flagship, FREMM frigate ITS Carlo Margottini. The frigate i
Royal Navy opens Naval Support Facility in Bahrain
A new naval support facility in Bahrain for Royal Navy operations was officially opened in a ceremony on April 5. The facility will be the hub of the Royal Navy’s operations in the Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The base will be capable of meeting the needs of British warships operating in the regi
Italian Navy research vessel ‘Alliance’ wraps up Iceland-Greenland Seas Project
Italian Navy’s multi-purpose research vessel ITS Alliance is set to return to its homeport in La Spezia, Italy, on April 6, concluding a 79-day mission in waters off Iceland and Greenland. Alliance’s mission was to support a project carried out under the custody of NATO’s Center for Maritime Researc
Navantia cuts steel for second Australian Navy replenishment oiler
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia officially started construction works on the second Royal Australian Navy auxiliary and replenishment oiler (AOR) with a steel cutting ceremony on April 4. First steel for the ship was cut at the company’s Fene facility in northwestern Spain. According to Navantia, const
Dutch Navy amphibious ship joins NATO operation Sea Guardian
HNLMS Karel Doorman, the Royal Netherlands Navy’s multi-purpose amphibious ship, got underway from its Den Helder homeport on April 4 to join the NATO-led operation Sea Guardian. Karel Doorman will spend the next nine weeks patrolling the Mediterranean Sea monitoring patterns-of-life to detect suspi
France takes delivery of first BSAH newbuild
Loire, the first of four French Navy’s Offshore Support and Assistance Vessels (BSAH), has been delivered to the country’s Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). The delivery took place on March 22, 2018. Built by Kership, the newbuild was launched in June 2017. Featuring a length of 70.3 meters and a wi