Ships, submarines and aircraft from Japan, US and India have kicked off the 22nd edition of the now trilateral naval exercise Malabar. The exercise runs from June 7 through June 16. Malabar 2018 is the first time the exercise has been conducted off the coast of Guam, and the latest in a continuing s
Northrop Grumman Systems has received a contract to build the third E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and attack aircraft for the government of Japan. According to a Pentagon announcement from June 5, Northrop received $153.2 million for the construction of the aircraft which is expected to be com
The crew of the US Navy’s Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) returned to their Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam homeport in Hawaii on June 6. Columbia spent the past six months in the Western Pacific conducting operations and exercises in support of national security. Cmdr.
BAE Systems has received a contract to produce payload tubes for two of the US Navy’s new Virginia-class submarines to support increased firepower on the Block V version of the attack subs. Under the contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat, a builder of the Virginia class, BAE Systems will deli
US Navy pilots from Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1), embarked aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), are training with the Italian Air Force in integrated flight operations taking place from May 28 to June 7. The exercise features F/A-18s from CVW-1’s four fighter squadrons, which integrated with Italian
The Royal Navy has reportedly informed the Brazilian Navy that it is preparing to sell one of its two Wave-class tankers in 2019. According to the Brazilian website Poder Naval, this is the second time the Brazilian Navy has received a notice from the UK about the potential sale of one of the two ta
US Navy destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77) completed a seven-month Western Pacific deployment returning to its homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on June 4. O’Kane departed Pearl Harbor, Nov. 4, to conduct ballistic missile defense operations near the American territory of Guam. O’Kane remained o
Exercise Malabar, the trilateral naval drill taking place off the coast of Guam, will feature a total of 12 warships – including aircraft and helicopter carriers – and two submarines. The lineup for the maneuvers could have been even more impressive had the Royal Australian Navy been allowed to join
The US Navy officially welcomed the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system to the fleet with a ceremony on May 31. The ceremony marked the start of flight operations, seven months after the US Navy received its first operational Triton from Northrop Grumman in November 2017. Naval Base Ventura County
The humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness exercise Pacific Partnership 2018 concluded June 2 as US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed Nha Trang, Vietnam. This mission in Nha Trang included personnel from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force embarked in JDS Osumi (LS
Shortly after starting its summer patrol, the US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) off the coast of Japan, June 3. The three-day fly-on and requalification of flight deck crew and aircrew involved more than 60 aircraft and include
Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has been awarded a CAD$66 million contract to start construction of Joint Support Ships (JSS) for the Royal Canadian Navy. Starting work in the next two months, Seaspan will build up to 52 blocks that will eventually constitute complete ships. The new joint sup
US Navy ships from the Essex amphibious ready group started the composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) with 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit marines off the coast of California on May 30. COMPTUEX is an exercise led by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 15 and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Expeditionar
US Navy submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) arrived in Vallejo, Calif., on May 31, to undergo dry-docking repairs. Emory S. Land is the first fully crewed Navy ship to arrive in the city since 1996. The ship will be docked at the Mare Island Dry Dock (MIDD) to conduct scheduled repairs to [&h
