The US Navy officially welcomed the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system to the fleet with a ceremony on May 31. The ceremony marked the start of flight operations, seven months after the US Navy received its first operational Triton from Northrop Grumman in November 2017. Naval Base Ventura County
RFS Yantar, the Russian Navy’s oceanographic vessel – also referred to as spy ship, underwater reconnaissance ship or seabed research ship – was escorted by several NATO ships as it transited the English Channel into the North Sea. Yantar was first escorted by a French Navy ship in the Bay of Biscay
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
Shortly after starting its summer patrol, the US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) off the coast of Japan, June 3. The three-day fly-on and requalification of flight deck crew and aircrew involved more than 60 aircraft and include
Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has been awarded a CAD$66 million contract to start construction of Joint Support Ships (JSS) for the Royal Canadian Navy. Starting work in the next two months, Seaspan will build up to 52 blocks that will eventually constitute complete ships. The new joint sup
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
Some 37 ships from 16 states arrived in the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda on May 31 ahead of the start of international exercise BALTOPS 2018, the Lithuanian Navy said. The US Navy says the number of participating countries and ships is higher with a total of 22 nations, 60 aircraft, 42 ships, an
US Navy ships from the Essex amphibious ready group started the composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) with 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit marines off the coast of California on May 30. COMPTUEX is an exercise led by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 15 and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Expeditionar
A Babcock-led industry team has officially unveiled the Arrowhead 140 concept as their design for the UK defense ministry’s Type 31e general purpose light frigate program. Babcock, Thales, OMT, BMT, Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine are all part of the team bidding for the UK MoD’s £1.25 billion
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
A change of command ceremony on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam on May 30 saw the US Pacific Command (PACOM) welcome a new commander as Adm. Phil Davidson relieved Adm. Harry Harris. In addition to receiving a new commander, PACOM also received a new name. Presiding over the ceremony, US defense secr
The world’s largest international naval exercise – Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) – will be hosting 26 nations, 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel for maneuvers, the US Navy has announced. The exercise is scheduled to take place b
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ramsey got underway from its homeport of HMNB Clyde last week to start a deployment with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). During its deployment, Ramsey will help with the disposal of historical ordnance left over from conflicts in the Northern Europ
US Navy ships centered around the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) returned to US 6th Fleet operations after completing a four day port visit to Souda Bay, Crete, May 23-27. The aircraft carrier docked at the US naval base in Souda Bay while Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Bulkeley do
