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HMS Ocean returns from final deployment as commissioned Royal Navy ship
Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean returned home to naval base Devonport on December 19, concluding her final deployment as a commissioned Royal Navy ship. The ship was scheduled to enter Devonport on December 20, welcomed by families and friends, but a forecast of thick fog brought her final o
GDEB awards HII $468m for Columbia-class work
General Dynamics Electric Boat has awarded Newport News Shipbuilding a contract worth up to $468 million to begin work on integrated product and process development for the US Navy’s new Columbia-class submarines. Newport News Shipbuilding is a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries. The navy a
Italian auxiliary Etna becomes flagship of EU migrant rescue mission
The Italian Navy has taken over command of the operation Sophia task force from the Spanish Navy in a ceremony at Italian naval base Taranto. On the occasion, Italian Navy Rear Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto replaced Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Javier Moreno as the new deputy force commander. Durin
Construction starts on third Canadian Navy AOPS HMCS Max Bernays
Canadian shipbuilder Irving Shipbuilding hosted a steel-cutting ceremony on December 19, marking the construction start on the Royal Canadian Navy’s third arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPS), the HMCS Max Bernays. Carla Qualtrough, Canadian public services and procurement minister, announced the
Italian FREMM frigate ITS Virginio Fasan concludes counter-piracy mission off Somalia
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Fasan has returned home from a five-deployment to the EUNAVFOR counter-piracy operation Atalanta. Fasan and her 133 crew departed the mission earlier this month and entered their homeport in La Spezia on December 18. During her time off the coast of Somalia, the
HII gets $63m contract for USS Fitzgerald repairs
The US Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries an initial $63 million contract to repair and restore the damaged destroyer USS Fitzgerald. After being selected to perform the repairs in August and receiving a $29.4 million planning contract in October, the Mississippi-based shipbuilder is now
USS Abraham Lincoln completes first F-35C qualifications
US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has qualified the first nine F-35C Lightning II pilots during its underway period. The Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) Carrier Qualifications were successfully completed between December 7 and 11. Along with Abraham Lincoln, the “
Russia advances Syrian naval base plans
Russian president Vladimir Putin has submitted a draft bill to the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly which would see Russia develop a fully functional naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus. The port is already in use by Russian warships which have been making port calls there since 1977.
CEC sensor-netting system ready for Australian Navy air warfare destroyers
US defense contractor Raytheon announced it has completed design, development and testing of its Cooperative Engagement Capability system which will provide the Australian Navy’s new Hobart-class destroyers with enhanced air warfare capabilities. The systems are yet to be certified by the US Navy, h
Naval Group issues first RFIs for Australia’s Future Submarines
French shipbuilder Naval Group has released first expressions of interest (EOIs) and requests for information (RFIs) for major equipment and common technologies on the Royal Australian Navy’s Future Submarine program. “We are seeking Australian companies to take part in the largest defense acquisiti
Royal Navy submarine service reaches 350th deterrent patrol milestone
The Royal Navy’s submarine service achieved a major milestone recently as a Vanguard submarine completed the country’s 350th deterrent patrol. As the country’s ultimate weapon, submarine operations and movements are kept a closely guarded secret, but the ‘Silent Service’ has temporarily broken its s
Australian government announces $20m contract for destroyer sustainment
The Australian government on December 13 announced a AU$20 million contract for the upkeep of Royal Australian Navy air warfare destroyers. The contract, awarded to BAE Systems and Raytheon Australia, will see the creation of 50 new jobs at Raytheon’s Macquarie Park facility in Sydney. Today’s annou
DARPA wants to replicate the Internet of Things at sea
Just like the internet of things connects smart devices enabling tracking and monitoring of events, The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to have something similar for the open ocean. Dubbed the ‘Ocean of Things’, the program seeks to enable persistent maritime situational a
German minehunter FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg returns from SNMCMG1 deployment
German Navy minehunter FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg returned to its homeport in Kiel on December 12, concluding its NATO deployment. The minehunter spent the past five months as part of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1. The group spent time training and clearing mines in areas ranging from F