The US-led humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness exercise Pacific Partnership 2018 arrived in Vietnam as personnel aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in Nha Trang on May 17. This year’s Pacific Partnership mission in Nha Trang will be joined by personnel from the J
The Peruvian state-owned shipyard SIMA has awarded French defense contractor ECA Group a contract related to the overhaul of the Peruvian Navy’s four Type 209/1200 submarine. As announced by the French company, the contract is for the delivery of 16 units of static converters to be fitted on the ves
US Military Sealift Command operated ships USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) met with the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver while underway in Asia Pacific, on May 15. While it was not stated, the exercise likely took place in the South China Sea as hospital ship USNS Mercy d
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $23.1 million contract for follow-on production of enhanced laser guided training rounds (ELGTRs) to support the service’s Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) weapons training. The award exercises the initial option of the contract negotiated in 2017 and exte
The US Navy has awarded a $42.2 million dollar contract to Vigor for repairs and changes to the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102). Work on the USS Sampson will be done in Seattle and Everett and may include blasting, painting and surface preparation. Under the deal, work on the ship’s f
US Navy ships from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3 have completed a group sail maneuver, working together for the first time in over two years. Led by aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), the CSG included Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) and ships from Destroyer
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Dewey (DDG 105) and USS Sterett (DDG 104) returned to San Diego, May 11, following a three-month deployment to Indo-Pacific. The destroyers operated in the South and East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and western Pacific. During the deployment
Raytheon Missile Systems has received a $242 million contract to deliver the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 system for the Qatari Emiri Navy. The contract, announced by the US defense department May 10, was awarded to the company by the US Naval Sea Systems Command and includes foreign milit
Huntington Ingalls Industries, the sole builder of US Navy aircraft carriers, announced May 10 that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division is boosting application of 3-D printing in its operations. NNS has partnered with 3D Systems to develop additive manufacturing technologies expected to acc
Pacific Partnership 2018 engagements in Sri Lanka concluded May 9 with mission participants departing Trincomalee aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) for the mission’s fourth port visit in Nha Trang, Vietnam. “We’ve continued to build upon the partnerships we forged du
US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) arrived at its new homeport in San Diego on May 8, concluding a homeport change from Sasebo, Japan. Bonhomme Richard departed San Diego in April 2012 for Sasebo, Japan, to replace USS Essex (LHD 2) as the Navy’s only forward-deployed amp
The US Navy-owned research vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson returned to sea recently following an 18-month mid-life refit at Vigor Marine’s Harbor Island shipyard in Seattle. The vessel was “was refurbished from stem to stern”, according to Vigor Marine, and has received new operating systems and tec
The US Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $175 million contract to deliver over 7,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rockets. This latest contract modification was made under the Navy’s 2016 $600 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, which is the contracti
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) wrapped up a seven-month deployment to the Middle East and Asia Pacific returning to San Diego on May 7. CVN 71 returned to San Diego together with guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) which is part of the Carrier Strike Group (CSG)