Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Portland is currently in Simonstown, South Africa, where the crew started their month-long break during a nine-month deployment. After adding 18,000 miles to her odometer in a patrol which has taken the frigate from Plymouth, through the Mediterranean, Suez and Strai
Minehunters from the US and UK kicked off the mine countermeasures exercise 17-1 in the Persian Gulf with a photographic exercise formation on October 19. The bilateral exercise encompassed the full spectrum of mine countermeasures (MCM) from mine detection and identification to mine clearance with
A Czech squadron of Gripen fighter jets have reached the second week of their air-maritime integration and carried out joint missions with Danish, French and Icelandic vessels off Iceland. Currently in charge of providing air interception capabilities for Iceland under NATO, the Czech JAS-39 Gripen
Russian cruiser-carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and other ships from its strike group were escorted off the Norwegian coast as they were sailing towards the Mediterranean. NATO said it deployed ships that were under its command to monitor the presence of Russian warships, noting it was routine procedure i
The U.S. Navy has awarded Austal USA a contract to provide engineering and management services support of the Post Shakedown Availability for the Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10). The US$12 million cost-plus-award-fee order is seen as a boost to the company
Australian naval officers recently graduated from a two month Aegis combat systems course at the Combat Systems Engineering Development Site (CSEDS) in New Jersey, United States. The officers learned to use the Aegis Combat System that is installed onboard the RAN’s newest Air Warfare Destroyer, the
Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, October 18 to conduct a goodwill visit as part of Westploy 16. Westploy 16 is HMCS Vancouver’s deployment aimed at building strong ties between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the navies of Asia-Pacific countries while also
U.S. Navy’s Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) arrived in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, for a scheduled port visit, October 16. Germantown and the embarked Combat Logistics Battalion of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Sihanoukville after completi
Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean visited the Egyptian port of Alexandria last weekend, thereby becoming the first UK warship to visit Egypt in over eight years. HMS Ocean visited Egypt as part of Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) 16 and will carry out exercises with partner nations
Spanish Navy light transport ship Martín Posadillo has returned from the Spanish missions in Lebanon where it was tasked with providing logistic support. Apart from UNIFIL operations ‘Libre Hidalgo’ and ‘Active Fence’, Martín Posadillo also contributed to the EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia. The ship
The first iteration of the international mine countermeasure (MCM) exercise Clear Horizon 2016 started in Busan, Republic of South Korea on October 16. U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy mine countermeasures units will train alongside MCM forces from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United
China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, one of two biggest shipbuilding conglomerates in China, confirmed that a project to export eight attack submarines to Pakistan has been initiated. The corporation held a conference to discuss details of the arrangement, the China People’s Daily news site repo
The Australian Department of Defence and Boeing Defence Australia have signed a contract for the next four years of sustainment for the Australian next generation of maritime patrol and response aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon. Australia plans to operate a total of 15 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. 12 P-8A Mar
Units from from the U.S. Navy’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 arrived in Busan for a port visit, October 16. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), and the Arle
