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Spanish frigate concludes six-month stint on counter-piracy operation Atalanta
Spanish frigate ESPS Santa Maria completed her six month deployment with operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia and handed over her duties to another Spanish warship, ESPS Relampago, on October 24. During her deployment, ESPS Santa Maria conducted patrols at sea in the Gulf of Aden and Indian O
Joint Warrior 162 concludes
Allied nations’ warships concluded their participation in the international exercise Joint Warrior 16-2, October 21. The United Kingdom-led and -hosted Joint Warrior series is run by the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS) from exercise headquarters aboard Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde i
South Korean HHI to build two frigates for the Philippines
South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) announced today that it signed a contract to build two 2,600 ton frigates for Philippine Navy. The frigates will be designed as a smaller version of the Incheon-class frigate which is already in service with the Republic of Korea Navy. Accordin
NATO minehunters visit Algeria
Ships from NATO’s Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) completed a port visit to Algiers, Algeria on October 20. The crews of the ships participated in multiple activities ashore and after getting underway on Thursday, all four NATO ships participated in drills with Algerian naval forces to prac
Exercise Bersama Lima 2016 concludes in Singapore
The Five Power Defence Arrangements exercise Bersama Lima 2016 concluded on October 21. Bersama Lima was conducted in Malaysia, Singapore and over the South China Sea, and involved air, maritime and land elements from the five member nations; Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Unite
Austal CEO: We don’t do what everybody else does
With an order book of over $3 billion, Austal is the only Australian company to make it into the top 100 defence companies in the world. Operating shipyards in Australia, U.S. and the Philippines, the company constructs ships for both the defence and commercial sector. Defence is at the company’s co
USS Nimitz cleared to deploy fighter jets again
Aircraft can once again take off from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) after the ship earned the flight deck certification while underway in the Pacific Ocean, October 20. The certification proves Nimitz’s flight deck and the sailors who conduct flight operations are capable of saf
Unmanned Warrior 2016 concludes
The Royal Navy-hosted review of unmanned technologies which took place on the West Coast of Scotland concluded on October 20. The skies above the island of Benbecula, a remote Scottish outpost in the Outer Hebrides, have been clear and calm in October allowing several dozens of the world’s experts t
Royal Navy frigate starts month-long break in South Africa
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
US, UK minehunters team up for Persian Gulf MCM drills
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
Czech Gripen fighter jets train with NATO ships
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 aircraft carrier escorted off Norway en route to Syrian coast
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
LCS post shakedown contract boosts Austal’s support business
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 complete Aegis course in US
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