US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) came a step closer to rejoining the fleet after it was launched and moored pier-side at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) – Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard, April 16. The ship is undergoing a complex repair and restoration following a collis
China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), has launched the first of a new class of four Royal Malaysian Navy littoral mission ships (LMS). The vessel was launched on April 15 and was named Keris, with pennant number 111. Keris is the first LMS to be built under a RM1.17 billion (approx. US$265
Anti-Submarine Warfare has once again risen high on the agendas of NATO’s maritime forces. To help give an overview of the current state of investment and procurement, Defence IQ have compiled an exclusive market report detailing ongoing ASW and submarine programmes from nations around the world – g
General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries a $727.4 million contract modification to continue the procurement of long-lead-time material for Virginia-class submarines. The award provides new funding to an existing contract for long-lead-time material to support c
The Romanian-hosted exercise Sea Shield 2019 concluded in the Black Sea on April 13. In addition to Romanian Navy units, the annual drill was joined by five NATO ships which are part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2). In total, over 20 ships and crews from Romania, Bulgaria, Canada, Gr
Perth-based Total Marine Technology has secured its first Royal Australian Navy contract as it landed a deal to design and deliver a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) for the service’s new submarine rescue system (SRS). TMT was selected by Phoenix International, who is in charge of delivering the new
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Biological Technology Office has partnered with Northrop Grumman for the development of prototype sensing capabilities that would use undersea organisms to detect and track undersea threats. The program is also known as Persistent Aquatic Li
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose arrived in Bahrain on April 3 to start a three-year mission in the Persian Gulf state. Montrose sailed into the UK’s new support facility in Bahrain after a six-month journey, which saw her cover 47,000-miles from her home in Plymouth. From Bahrain, she will conduct r
US Navy Secretary (SECNAV) Richard V. Spencer is to issue a secretarial letter of censure to former USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) commanding officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson and former crew member Lt. Natalie Combs, for their role in the deadly collision off Japan in June 2018. The destroyer collided with Filip
German Navy F124 frigate FGS Hessen is scheduled to depart its Wilhelmshaven homeport on April 11 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2). The air-defense frigate will replace another German vessel currently deployed to the mission in the Aegean Sea. Combat support ship Bonn deployed to
The Royal Australian Air Force has received its eighth Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, Australia’s defense minister announced on April 9. The aircraft number eight had been identified as RAAF’s long-term fatigue management aircraft and had been fitted with a raft of diagnostic equipment, acc
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) got underway from Naval Station Norfolk on April 8 for its flight deck certification and for first flight ops since the summer of 2017. The ship recently completed a planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard as part of the m
US personnel stationed in Tripoli were evacuated from the city in the wake of the advance of Libyan National Army forces, led by General Khalifa Hifter, towards the Libyan capital. LNA forces started their push on April 5. The UN-backed government says that 21 people have already been killed in figh
France’s Naval Group and Germany’s MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH have signed the first major equipment subcontract for the Australian Attack-class submarine program. The contract will see MTU Friedrichshafen design the diesel generator rectifier (DGR) for the submarines to turn mechanized energy into ele
