Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga is returning from a Middle East deployment which saw the crew seize over AU$2 billion of narcotics over the course of eight months. In total, the Australian warship intercepted 16 vessels carrying illicit narcotics, seizing a total of around 31.8 tonnes
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Anzac returned to her homeport at Fleet Base East on June 17, completing a three-month Southeast Asia deployment. Anzac deployed as part of a three ship task unit with HMA Ships Success and Toowoomba. Departing Fleet Base East in March, Anzac visited seven ports in
Australian branches of global defense contractors Raytheon and Thales will be in charge of the A$542 million project to upgrade the fleet of six Royal Australian Navy Collins-class submarines. According to an announcement from the Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne, the upgrades a
The Royal Australian Navy has concluded the amphibious exercise Sea Explorer off the coast of Queensland. The exercise was held over the anniversary of the D-Day landings, which took place on the 6th June 1944 on the coast of France. Commander of the Amphibious Task Group, Captain Paul O’Grady, ackn
The Royal Australian Navy has deployed a laser airborne depth sounder (LADS) flight to deployment to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, for hydrographic surveys in the Kavieng and Rabaul regions. The five week is carried out with the aim of providing improved data that will be used to update the existing nau
Ships, submarines and aircraft from Japan, US and India have kicked off the 22nd edition of the now trilateral naval exercise Malabar. The exercise runs from June 7 through June 16. Malabar 2018 is the first time the exercise has been conducted off the coast of Guam, and the latest in a continuing s
Royal Australian and New Zealand Naviy personnel took part in a week long exercise recently honing their skills in responding to piracy activities on commercial shipping surrounding fictitious countries in the Tasman Sea. Exercise Goanna 18 drew on lessons learnt from RAN and RNZN deployments in dom
French and UK Royal Navy ships will be joining their US counterparts in challenging China’s territorial claims in disputed regions of the South China Sea, the two countries’ defense ministers have announced. The announcement was made at the Shangri La security dialogue in Singapore which was attende
The humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness exercise Pacific Partnership 2018 concluded June 2 as US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed Nha Trang, Vietnam. This mission in Nha Trang included personnel from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force embarked in JDS Osumi (LS
The Royal Australian Navy is starting the second iteration of the large-scale regional engagement Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE 18), Australian defense minister Marise Payne has announced. A Task Group that will deploy as part of IPE 18 is scheduled to depart Townsville on June 2. Minister Payne said
Australia’s second air warfare destroyer ‘Brisbane’ recently completed her Category 5 (CAT 5) sea trials off the coast of Adelaide, the Royal Australian Navy has announced. The destroyer got underway for the trials in November 2017. The Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance which is in charge of delivering
Australian shipbuilder Austal on May 30 announced that the first of overall 21 Pacific Patrol Boats was launched after officially starting construction in April 2017. The first vessel in the class is scheduled for delivery to Papua New Guinea in late October 2018. The boats are also known as the Gua
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne departed her home port of Fleet Base East bound to start a seven month deployment to the South West Pacific and North East Asia. Melbourne’s deployment will include participation in the second iteration of Indo-Pacific Endeavour, exercise Kakadu in Austra
German shipbuilder Luerssen – the prime contractor in the Australian SEA 1180 offshore patrol vessel program – has formed a joint venture with Australian engineering and defense contractor Civmec. The joint venture will be called the Australian Maritime Shipbuilding and Export Group and will play a
