Amphibious & Support Ships
US destroyer USS Carney concludes Mediterranean, Black Sea patrols
US Navy’s forward-deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) completed a four-month patrol in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, returning to Rota, Spain, on March 31. While on patrol, Carney conducted missions in support of regional allies and partners in the Mediterranean and Black Sea re
Leonardo inks OCEAN2020 grant agreement
Italian defense company Leonardo has signed a grant agreement for OCEAN2020, the first European Defence Fund’s initiative project aimed at boosting Europe’s defense research. The project – which will be funded by a grant totaling around EUR 35 million – will be led by Leonardo, which will coordinate
Navy wins big in Dutch 2018 defense white paper
The Royal Netherlands Navy, with over EUR6 billion in funds set aside for its acquisition and maintenance programs, is the major winner of the Netherlands defense ministry’s 2018 white paper. Army and air force follow with little over two and one billion euros, respectively, while 1.7 billion is to
UK welcomes third Tide-class tanker RFA Tidesurge
Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s third Tide-class tanker RFA Tidesurge arrived in Cornwall, England, on March 27 where it will undergo further outfitting and trials before entering service. Tidesurge arrived from South Korea where it was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. It is the third of f
German combat support ship concludes SNMG2 deployment
German Navy combat support ship EGV Frankfurt am Main has wrapped up its deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 and is now en route to its homeport. Frankfurt am Main is scheduled to enter Wilhelmshaven on March 29 after spending five and a half months underway. The ship deployed to SNMG2 in
German P-3C Orion MPRA returns to Djibouti
A German P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) and its crew have returned to Djibouti to rejoin the fight against piracy as part of the EU NAVFOR-led operation Atalanta. The P-3C, its crew and supporting staff deployed to the Horn of Africa area of operations on March 23 to w
Qinetiq unveils design of new Portsdown Technology Park facility
Construction of a new naval testing facility at the Portsdown Technology Park (PTP) in Portsmouth, UK, is set to begin soon, UK defense technology company Qinetiq announced as it unveiled the facility’s design. Together with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Qinetiq is investing £23m in
Obangame Express kicks off in Gabon
Obangame Express, an exercise sponsored by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and designed to improve regional cooperation, kicked off on March 21 with an opening ceremony in Libreville, Gabon. The annual exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), information-sharing practices, and tactical
Royal Navy, Thales trial surface warship sonar software upgrades
French defense and technology company Thales worked with the Royal Navy recently to see if upgrades in submarine sonar systems could be applied on towed array sonars used on surface ships such as the Type 23 frigates. Sonar 2076 is the Royal Navy’s major sonar platform on all submarines, while the T
Qatari Coast Guard orders nine more vessels from ARES, BMT
UK-based engineering consultancy BMT and Turkey’s ARES Shipyard have received a new order from the Qatari Coast Guard which includes an additional nine vessels. The order was officially signed during Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) last week. The new order cove
UK MoD awards £160m Type 45 destroyer propulsion repair contract
The UK defense ministry has awarded a £160 million (approx. $226.5m) contract to a BAE Systems-led team to resolve the power and propulsion system issues experienced by Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers. The Power Improvement Project (PIP) will improve the resilience of the Type 45 class by installing
USS Oak Hill exits Black Sea after Romania drill, Georgia port visit
US Navy’s Harpers-Ferry class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) and the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) wrapped up their 15-day stay in the Black Sea, transiting the Bosphorus to return to the Mediterranean Sea on March 22. During their time in the Black Sea, US Navy sailors and
RFA Mounts Bay helping Turks and Caicos Islands tackle surge of migrant arrivals
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay arrived in Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) waters on March 19 to help the the British overseas territory with a recent increase in the number of migrant arrivals from Haiti. TCI police and border control officials observed a surge in the number of illegal sloops
SNMG1 ships train with Polish Navy in Baltic Sea
After concluding exercises and at sea maneuvers with Lithuanian Navy units, ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1) started a series of naval exercises with the Polish Navy in the Baltic Sea. The exercise got underway on Monday and included a number of basic and advanced maritime opera