Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was at the center of an important milestone for the F-35 program as an F-35B performed the first ever shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) British test pilot Peter Wilson conducted the landing this weekend. Previously the jets have conducted only
US defense giants Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies, Inc. announced they have agreed to combine in an all stock merger of equals to create L3 Harris Technologies. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the combined company will be the 6th largest defense company in the US and a top 10 defense com
Two Royal Canadian Navy ships will be joining US and Japan Self Defense Force units for exercise Keen Sword which is scheduled to start on October 29. According to the US Navy, this will be the first time Canadian Navy ships are taking part in the maritime portion of the exercise. While the US Navy
US Navy divers have completed the removal of fuel oil from the capsized World War II German cruiser, Prinz Eugen, at Enubuj Island in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. Working from aboard US naval ship Salvor, divers from Mobile Diving Salvage Unit 1 completed the undertaking on October 15, after 4
Ships assigned to the Kearsarge amphibious ready group (ARG) departed Naval Station Norfolk on October 13 to start the composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX). COMPTUEX is the final pre-deployment exercise that certifies the ARG’s abilities to conduct military operations at sea and project power
An industry team composed of BAE Systems, Atlantic & Peninsula Australia, Saab Australia and Navantia Australia has submitted a bid to the Australian government to provide sustainment and support for the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships (LHD). Also included in the bid are support for the
Finland will be hosting a total of 4,000 personnel and over 40 vessels for this year’s edition of the Baltic Sea drill Northern Coasts 2018 (NOCO). This will be the third time Finland is hosting the German Navy-led international exercise. According to the Finnish defense ministry, NOCO18 will involv
The Royal Australian Navy has begun trials of a new corrosion-resistant coating that reduces the build-up of algae and barnacles on ship hydraulic components. HMAS Canberra, one of the Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock ships, is now testing the coating. Researchers from Swinburne Univers
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) will be joining the largest NATO exercise which is set to take place in Norway later this month. This is likely the first time an aircraft carrier will be taking part in Trident Juncture – an exercise whose 2018 edition is often referred to as on
The Turkish Navy-hosted exercise Mavi Balina concluded on October 9, after a week of evolutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mavi Balina consisted of a port phase which started September 27 and transitioned to the at-sea portion on September 30. The biannual anti-submarine warfare exercise also
Libyan Navy and Coast Guard personnel started a new phase of training, dubbed “Package 2”, with the Italian Navy in La Maddalena, Italy, on October 8. The training is conducted as part of the EU-led Mediterranean Sea migrant-response operation Sophia. A total of 69 personnel will be trained in this
The Royal Australian Navy tested a maritime version of the Portable Raman Improvised Explosive Detector (PRIED) prototype at HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin on October 10. The technology was developed through a partnership between Queensland-based EPE and the Defence Innovation Hub. EPE signed a $1 millio
The US Navy announced the names of further two littoral combat ships (LCS) on October 9. The Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer said the next Independence-variant LCS would be named USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) and the next Freedom-variant LCS would be named USS Beloit (LCS 29). Names of LCS 29
Austal USA, the US subsidiary of the Australian shipbuilder, has been awarded an additional $16.5 million contract for service work on one of US Navy’s Independence-class littoral combat ships. Specifically, the United States Department of Defence has awarded Austal USA $16,459,663 for a cost-plus-a
