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Spanish offshore patrol boat heads for African deployment
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Serviola set sail from Ferrol to conduct a series of activities with African navies as part of the Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and coop
US Navy amphibious assault ship launches NATO’s Sea Sparrow missile
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) launched the NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile to engage a target drone during a fleet firing exercise. The missile was launched on September 18 off the coast of the U.S. territory of Guam during the biennial Valiant Shield exerc
Australian Navy cadets embark HMAS Leeuwin for hydrographic experience
Royal Australian Navy cadets had an opportunity to witness hydrographic operations at sea when they embarked in HMAS Leeuwin with Hydrographic Survey Red Crew for a 10 week survey task off Western Australia’s North West Shelf. When Leeuwin sailed from Cairns for trials, the ship’s company took the o
US Navy Growler flies on 100-percent biofuel
U.S. Navy’s EA-18G “Green Growler” completed flight testing of a 100-percent advanced biofuel at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, in early September. “From takeoff to landing, you couldn’t tell any difference,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bradley Fairfax, project officer and test pilot with Air Test a
Video: US Navy’s 13th LCS hits water for first time
USS Wichita, the U.S. Navy’s 13th littoral combat ship was launched during a September 17 ceremony at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette. Lockheed Martin, the company leading the industry team that builds the Freedom variant of LCS ships has shared a video of LCS 13 hitting the w
Pacific Partnership returning home after four months underway
After concluding mission stops in six countries, this years’s Pacific Partnership arrived in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility en route to Hawaii aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Pacific Partnership members are on a brief stop as the mission nears conclusion. Mercy departed Naval B
Panama hosts multinational naval exercise UNITAS 2016
The Panamanian Navy is host to this year’s iteration of exercise UNITAS which is attended by the United States, Panama, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and the United Kingdom. The ten-day exercise kicked off September 18 and will includ
British frigate breaks off international exercise to save Canadian fisherman
Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth abandoned the scenario during a Canadian-hosted anti-submarine exercise in order to help a Canadian fisherman in the North Atlantic. The Plymouth-based ship was around 100 miles east of Nova Scotia when she picked up a mayday. The crew of the trawler Double Mischief r
Australian Navy minehunters head for Solomon Islands and Render Safe 2016
Two Royal Australian Navy minehunters, HMAS Huon and HMAS Diamantina, spent the past four weeks training together before they set sail for their south-west Pacific deployment and support to operation Render Safe 16. This year’s iteration of Render Safe will be taking place in the vicinity of the Sol
Northern Coasts 2016 concludes
NATO and ally nation ships have concluded this year’s edition of the German-sponsored large-scale exercise Northern Coasts. The two-week exercise started on September 5 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was attended by ships and aircraft from 14 countries including Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Estoni
Finnish Navy signs LOI for Squadron 2020 ice-going OPVs
Following a request for information (RFI) for its Squadron 2020 project to construct four ice-going offshore patrol vessels, the Finnish Navy has now signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Rauma-based shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions. If the LOI is realized, the company will build f
European Border and Coast Guard gets final green light
The European Union Council gave its final approval to the European Border and Coast Guard on September 14 and the EU now estimates the body will start its activities in mid-October. The main role of the European Border and Coast Guard is to help provide integrated border management at the external b
US Navy awards Huntington Ingalls $19 million to accelerate LX(R) design
The U.S. Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries a $19.1 million contract modification to accelerate design work on the U.S. Navy’s amphibious warfare ship replacement, known as LX(R). In the original announcement on June 30, Ingalls was selected to perform the majority of the contract design
Australia hosts navy commanders from 14 countries for Regional Commanders’ Conference
Navy commanders from 14 countries were hosted by Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer, for the inaugural Regional Commanders’ Conference to discuss maritime security and interoperability in the Asia-Pacific. The high level discussions between navies were attached to exercise Kakadu