French shipbuilders STX France and Socarenam joined forces with Belgium’s EDR to try and secure a contract for the construction of 12 mine counter measure vessels for the navies of Belgium and the Netherlands. The two navies are jointly procuring mine countermeasure (MCM) vessels and frigates with B
Indian shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) launched the third Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarine for the Indian Navy at its shipyard on January 31. The submarine was named ‘Karanj’ and was launched by Mrs Reena Lanba, President Navy Wives Welfare Association. The launch ceremon
Navantia Australia announced it has teamed with Tasmanian firm Taylor Bros for work on the Royal Australian Navy’s Future Frigates. Navantia embedded a Taylor Bros team into its design and production teams for the SEA 5000 program creating the “Integrated Product Team” which the company said will “i
Warships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) will enter the Black Sea to join their mine countermeasure countermeasure counterparts already operating in the region. After SNMG2 ships from the UK and Turkey enter the Black Sea through the Bosphorus, they are scheduled to join Standing NATO
Two European frigates, one from Norway and the other from Germany, arrived at Norfolk naval base Jan. 26 and 28 to join the US Navy carrier strike group assembled around aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F 311) and Sachsen-class German frigate H
HMCS Sackville, Canada’s oldest warship and the sole remaining Flower-class corvette, is set to undergo much needed reparations after a CAD$3.5 million contract was announced by the Canadian government this week. The funds are awarded to the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust for extensive repairs of the
Ships from NATO’s Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) under command of Commander Peter Ramboer of the Belgian Navy arrived in Hull, UK on January 26. The group made a routine port visit to Hull as part of their annual schedule of operations. While in Hull, officers made courtesy
The Belgian government on Friday, January 26, decided to give the department of defense its green light for the acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels. The order will be placed jointly with the Netherlands Navy which will acquire an identical number of MCM ships. In addition to mine coun
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) earlier this month to start preparations for her 27-month refueling overhaul, the US Navy announced. In a first for NNSY, Enlisted Women at Sea ship alterations will be performed onboard, modifying
The Australian federal government has unveiled a new defense export strategy aimed at turning Australia into a major defense exporter. The document, unveiled by defense industry minister Christopher Pyne on Monday, sets out the policy and strategy to make Australia one of the top ten global defense
A New Zealand Defence Force aircraft and an Australian Navy frigate joined forces in the Western Indian Ocean to interdict 915 kilos of heroin worth AUD$274 million. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft detected a suspicious vessel on January 23 prompting a boarding and investigation by the
The US Navy has carried out another Harpoon Block II+ missile test at the Point Mugu Sea Test Range on January 22. The latest test demonstrated the missile’s ability to talk with the newest F/A-18’s software upgrade as the interface becomes operational on the F/A-18 Super Hornet system. The upgrade,
Looking for new technologies to improve the operation of unmanned underwater vehicles, the Royal Navy used the Maritime Enterprise Innovation Scotland Conference (MEISC) to set challenges for developers. During the conference, held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on January 24, two speci
The Australian defense ministry has awarded Lockheed Martin a AU$700 million contract to design, build and integrate a combat system for the Royal Australian Navy’s future submarines. Announcing the contract on January 25, Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne said the contract with
