Mine countermeasure experts form the UK and US navies embarked the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay to complete the Mine Identification and Exploitation Exercise 2017 . The exercise allowed for US and UK forces to share knowledge of mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities in searching, identi
Collaborating under an Integrated Program Office (IPO), the US Navy and Coast Guard released a draft request for proposal (RFP) for the detail design and construction of a Heavy Polar Icebreaker (HPIB). Released on October 19, the draft RFP is for one HPIB, with options for two additional HPIBs. The
The US Navy will be christening its future Freedom-variant littoral combat ship Little Rock (LCS 9) in a ceremony at Canalside, Buffalo, on December 16. The announcement was made by the Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer on October 18. The future LCS 9, commanded by Cmdr. Todd Peters, is the t
Boeing has recently awarded Lockheed Martin two contracts to upgrade its IRST21 sensor system for use on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F fleet. The Block II contracts provide up to $100 million for developing advanced software, performing hardware upgrades and delivering prototypes. These efforts will fur
US Marines and amphibious forces were joined by armed forces of the United Arab Emirates on October 15 to start a two-week amphibious exercise called Iron Magic. Iron Magic enables regional partners to coordinate amphibious landing, infantry training, military operations in urban terrain (MOUT), mec
US Navy transport dock USS San Diego (LPD 22) pulled into Souda Bay, Greece, on October 15, for a scheduled port visit and a mid-deployment voyage repair maintenance stop. The San Antonio-class ship USS San Diego arrived in Greece together with embarked Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Uni
The US Navy has deployed Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) and will deploy another destroyer to make up lost ballistic missile defense capability after two guided missile destroyers were severely damaged in recent collisions. USS Monterey departed Naval Station Norfolk Oc
Canadian shipbuilder Davie Shipbuilding launched the Royal Canadian Navy’s Project Resolve auxiliary oiler replenishment ship ‘Asterix’ this weekend at its shipyard in Quebec. The naval support ship started life as containership MV Asterix and was converted into the naval support ship after arriving
The US Navy has decommissioned its afloat forward staging base (interim) USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15) in a ceremony held at Naval Station Norfolk. USS Ponce was decommissioned on October 14, after more than 46 years of naval service. Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, Rear Adm. Jesse A. Wilson Jr.,
US Navy’s future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) officially started construction in a keel authentication ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), on Oct. 13. Keel laying is the traditional start of ship construction. In the age of wooden ships, ‘keel laying’ referred to the laying down of the
The US Navy is set to christen its second Expeditionary Sea Base, the USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams on Saturday, October 21. The ceremony will take place at General Dynamic’s San Diego shipyard and will see Martha P. Downs, Puller’s daughter and the ship’s sponsor, break a bottle over the ship’s bow
The US Navy’s first air-to-ground network-enabled weapon capable of attacking stationary land and moving maritime targets – the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C-1 – has recently achieved full operational capability. As a result of this, all US squadrons are now outfitted with JSOW C-1, Naval Air Syste
US naval researchers recently demonstrated a new capability which would allow the communication of a submerged unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) with a shore station through an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) as a communications relay. The US Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) remotely collaborat
During a bilateral exercise between the US and the Philippines, US Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles (AAV) embarked and launched from Philippine Navy sea lift vessel BRP Tarlac (LD-601) for the first time ever. The evolutions were part of exercise KAMANDAG, taking place off the coast Luzon be
