UK defense secretary Michael Fallon on Tuesday unveiled a new Royal Navy fleet support model bringing a spate of existing contracts under new, overarching arrangements. Called Common Support Model (CSM), the arrangement will provide a framework for comprehensive support across the Royal Navy’s fleet
US defense contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems has been awarded a $418.6 million contract to manufacture additional Trident II (D5) missiles. The US defense department did not specify the exact quantity of missiles to be built and the contract has options which could drive its value up to over
Sailors from the Royal Netherlands Navy’s landing platform dock HNLMS Rotterdam carried out a local maritime capacity building (LMCB) exercise with Seychelles military personnel. The activity took place on September 25 and 26 and was part of the ship’s regular EU NAVFOR activities. The LMCB focused
The Brazilian Navy’s first upgraded Super Lynx Mk21B helicopter has performed its maiden flight from the Yeovil facility in southwest England. The flight success was announced by aerospace and defense company Leonardo which is in charge of upgrading eight Mk21B helicopters under a US$160 million con
Taking part in the submarine escape and rescue exercise Dynamic Monarch for the first time, NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) supported the exercise using a new digital underwater acoustic communications capability providing more effective command and control to escape a
A Chinese Navy three-ship task group has concluded a three-day visit to Brunei Darussalam and is currently en route to Cambodia. Composed of Type 052C destroyer Changchun, Type 054A frigate Jingzhou and Type 903 replenishment ship Chaohu, the task group started its deployment on April 23 and has vis
Whether Europe sees the creation of a “naval Airbus” will be known by June 2018. That is the date by which French and Italian shipbuilding giants Naval Group and Fincantieri are to define “a roadmap detailing the principles of the future alliance”. The announcement of the possible merger was made in
Prior to the Chinook helicopter starting sea trials aboard the Royal Navy’s first MARS tanker, UK company SEA has performed a successful simulated flight trial. The company is providing modelling and simulation support to the UK MoD Chinook project team as a method of assessing key aircraft handling
A team of volunteers from Portsmouth Naval Base will be taking a replica of a 19th century schooner on a voyage from Hull to the Solent. The sailors will be replicating a voyage of schooner HMS Pickle which brought news of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Sailors will step back in time more than
A Polish shipyard subcontracted for work on the hull of the Royal Danish Navy’s newest Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessel has employed North Korean workers, according to a Danish news report. As reported by DR, Danish shipbuilder and prime contractor Karstensens contracted the Polish shipyard Crist
Ships from the US Navy’s Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BAT ARG), together with 4,000 sailors and marines aboard, returned to Naval Station Norfolk and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story on September 23 following a seven-month deployment. The amphibious group consists of assault ship U
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Tiderace has reached UK waters after getting underway almost two months ago from Okpo, South Korea, where she was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). The second of four Tide-class ships started her voyage on August 3 and arrived in Falmouth in t
The US-led live-fire integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) exercise Formidable Shield 2017 got underway on Sunday at the UK’s Hebrides Range in the vicinity of the Western Isles of Scotland. More than 14 ships, 10 aircraft, and approximately 3,300 personnel from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, t
The Russian Navy has commissioned another two Project 23040 search and rescue boats in a ceremony in Severomorsk. Bearing pennant numbers 1229 and 1230, the boats will be based in Severomorsk, Murmansk region, where they will be part of the Northern Fleet’s diving service. Project 23040 boats are bu
