US Navy ships from Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 1 started integration drills with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in preparation for an upcoming deployment. PHIBRON 1 is comprised of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock s
German Navy combat support ship EGV Frankfurt am Main has wrapped up its deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 and is now en route to its homeport. Frankfurt am Main is scheduled to enter Wilhelmshaven on March 29 after spending five and a half months underway. The ship deployed to SNMG2 in
The Royal Australian Navy has completed validation and verification trials of Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 unmanned air system (UAS), the UAS manufacturer has announced. According to Schiebel, the S-100 was equipped with a Wescam MX-10S payload showcasing its ability to deliver imagery to commanders.
A German P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) and its crew have returned to Djibouti to rejoin the fight against piracy as part of the EU NAVFOR-led operation Atalanta. The P-3C, its crew and supporting staff deployed to the Horn of Africa area of operations on March 23 to w
US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) completed fleet carrier qualifications (CQ) for the F-35C Lightning II program over a five-day period in the Atlantic Ocean. The US Navy said the milestone was achieved while the carrier was underway between March 17-21. Pilots ass
Obangame Express, an exercise sponsored by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and designed to improve regional cooperation, kicked off on March 21 with an opening ceremony in Libreville, Gabon. The annual exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), information-sharing practices, and tactical
French defense and technology company Thales worked with the Royal Navy recently to see if upgrades in submarine sonar systems could be applied on towed array sonars used on surface ships such as the Type 23 frigates. Sonar 2076 is the Royal Navy’s major sonar platform on all submarines, while the T
Italian-based electronic warfare specialist Elettronica has laid the groundwork for further collaboration with Thales Australia and the Australian systems house Daronmont related to the potential construction of nine new frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. Under the Memoranda of Understanding, t
UK-based engineering consultancy BMT and Turkey’s ARES Shipyard have received a new order from the Qatari Coast Guard which includes an additional nine vessels. The order was officially signed during Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) last week. The new order cove
Royal Canadian Navy’s Victoria-class submarine HMCS Chicoutimi returned to her homeport in Esquimalt March 21 after a 197-day deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. Her deployment was a historic one in that it marked the first time in nearly 50 years that a Canadian submarine operated in the region.
The UK defense ministry has awarded a £160 million (approx. $226.5m) contract to a BAE Systems-led team to resolve the power and propulsion system issues experienced by Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers. The Power Improvement Project (PIP) will improve the resilience of the Type 45 class by installing
US Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) made its first mission stop as part of Pacific Partnership 2018 on March 20 to offload medical supplies in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). This is the first official engagement of Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18), where the Merc
After concluding exercises and at sea maneuvers with Lithuanian Navy units, ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1) started a series of naval exercises with the Polish Navy in the Baltic Sea. The exercise got underway on Monday and included a number of basic and advanced maritime opera
The US Navy has issued a two-ship buy Request for Proposal (RFP) to Huntington Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) for Ford-class carriers CVN 80 and CVN 81 looking to get more details on potential cost savings which could be achieved with a two-ship buy. The RFP was issued by U
