The UK Royal Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force are scheduled to conduct their first joint amphibious exercise in Japanese waters next week. Taking place on August 23 and 24, the exercise will be spearheaded by Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion and the JMSDF tank landing ship
The final of four Royal Navy Tide-class tankers – RFA Tideforce – has arrived in Cornwall, UK, where it will now undergo military customization and armament before starting sea trials. Customisation work, including the installation of communications equipment and defensive systems, will be performed
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montreal arrived at Halifax Shipyard August 13 for a 53-week docking work period (DWP) which will include both routine maintenance and upgrades. HMCS Montreal is the third consecutive Halifax-class frigate from the navy’s east coast fleet to enter the Halifax Shipyar
The Lockheed Martin-led industry team held a keel-laying ceremony for the US Navy’s 23rd Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The keel for the 12th Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, future USS Cooperstown, was laid on August 14 in a ceremony held at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. E
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is boosting its logistic support capabilities with the acquisition of automation, command and control systems specialist Vitrociset. Fincantieri announced August 7 that it signed an agreement with commercial high-tech company Mer Mec for the joint and equally split ac
The US Navy has called off the search for a Marine who was reported missing from amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) on August 9. The Marine, assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked aboard USS Essex, is presumed dead after the US Navy announced the end of search and rescue effo
Sailors aboard the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) concluded participation in exercise Reliant Mermaid 2018, a maritime search and rescue and anti-terrorism force protection exercise on August 8, 2018. The drill, hosted by the Israel Defense Forces, is desi
After ceding command over the EU-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa to the Spanish Navy, the Italian Navy has deployed its newest FREMM frigate – ITS Federico Martinengo – to support the mission. The frigate got underway from its homeport in Taranto and joined the operation
Hyundai Heavy Industries hosted a keel laying ceremony for the Royal New Zealand Navy’s future tanker HMZS Aotearoa at its shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, on August 13. Aotearoa’s keel laying consisted of more than 500 tonnes of carefully constructed keel blocks being positioned together in the dry
The Canadian government has awarded Chantier Davie, of Lévis, Quebec, a CA$610 million contract to deliver three converted icebreakers to the Canadian Coast Guard. Under the contract, Davie is to acquire three medium commercial icebreakers and prepare them for coast guard service. The first vessel i
Australian Navy ships and personnel are continuing their Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18) deployment after concluding exercise Rim of the Pacific off Hawaii in early August. Landing helicopter dock ship HMAS Adelaide and frigate HMAS Toowoomba – along with a platoon of Australian soldiers from 2R
MV-22 Osprey pilots tested rolling landing and takeoffs on the flight deck of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) earlier this month. The testing took place a month after Bell Boeing received a contract to build the first 39 CMV-22B aircraft for the US Navy. The CMV-22B Osprey
Shipbuilder Austal has authenticated the keel for the US Navy’s eleventh Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport ship in a ceremony at its Mobile, Alabama shipyard. A keel laying is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction, as the keel is the symbolic backbone of a ship. The
The US and Royal Malaysian navies commenced the 24th iteration of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) on Kota Belud Marine Base in Malaysia on August 10. CARAT exercises focus on the full spectrum of naval capabilities and are designed to strengthen the close partnership between both n
