On 19 March 2012, the multipurpose frigate HNLMS Van Amstel left its home base of Den Helder for Somalia. The ship is set to take part in Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s counter-piracy mission. Before departure, family and friends of the crew said their farewells on board the ship. In the c
The Portsmouth-based frigate joined the USS Abraham Lincoln for anti-submarine exercises, before serving as the ‘plane guard’ for the carrier as she launched and recovered her aircraft. Her Majesty’s Ship Westminster sails in company with the USS Abraham Lincoln as the Portsmouth-based warship joine
Russia and China will conduct joint naval exercise late in Apr 2012, reports Chinese newspaper Renmin Ribao referring to Russian Navy Deputy Chief of Staff RADM Leonid Sukhanov. One of the exercise objectives will be protection of exclusive economic zones of both countries, reports Interfax citing t
On the 26 March 2012, the EU Naval Force Flagship ESPS Patino located a Yemeni registered dhow that was suspected of being involved in acts of piracy off the Somali coast. The previous day a merchant vessel had reported that it had evaded an attack by two skiffs. As she was close by, ESPS Patino [&h
Plymouth based warship, HMS Ocean, has been awarded a trophy as the Royal Navy’s most effective large ship for 2011 having also won it in 2010. HMS Ocean has won the 2011 Effectiveness Trophy in two categories ‘Capital Ship’ and ‘Naval Capability’, the latter in conjunction with the Apache Air Group
HMS Daring has made her debut in Kuwait on the latest stage of her inaugural deployment to the Gulf. Britain’s first Type 45 destroyer hosted a succession of officers attending Kuwaiti Staff College and who one day will be the senior commanders of military forces in half a dozen nations. This is the
As of 23 March 2012 the Counter-Piracy force of the European Union (EUNAVFOR) which normally includes between 4 and 7 warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa will be joined by two new warships of the French navy; Frigate FS GEORGES LEYGUES and Amphibious Assault Ship FS DIXMUDE. FS G
Final bilateral planning conference of the Pomor-2012 joint exercise will be held in Northern Fleet (NF) main naval base Severomorsk on board large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko in Apr 10-12. Norwegian military delegation arriving in Severomorsk will include Chief of Naval Operations at Norwegian Nati
Baltic Fleet (BF) delegation headed by the chief of BF Combat Training Dept Capt 1 rank Sergei Volkov returned from Denmark. Officers took part in the DANEX-2012 exercise planning conference. Representatives of participating countries spent several days in Jonstrup, Denmark discussing organization o
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll has conducted the first visit by a British warship to Lebanon since November 2006, underlining the United Kingdom’s continued commitment to supporting Lebanon’s stability. The last time British warships were off the ‘Paris of the East’ they were helping to evacuate
HMS Bulwark has landed Royal Marines from 42 Commando on the shores of Norway for NATO’s winter war games, Exercise Cold Response. As well as putting commandos onto the snow and shingle near the Norwegian port of Harstad, Bulwark landed their counterparts from the Netherlands and the USA, and equipm
Two Merlins from 820 Naval Air Squadron in Culdrose flew a 2,800-mile round trip to take part in the world’s biggest anti-submarine exercise, NATO’s Proud Manta. The aircraft – widely acknowledged as the world’s best anti-submarine hunting helicopter – spent a fortnight at Sigonella airbase near Mou
Sailors and marines were buffeted by high winds and pelted by snow and ice as Arctic war games got under way. A blizzard brought flying operations aboard helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious to a standstill in northern Norway, but nearby flagship HMS Bulwark continued to put Dutch marines ashore by la
In 2011, Russian defense ministry tied a number of long-term aircraft procurement contracts; under one of them, the ministry purchased 140 attack helicopters Ka-52 Alligator, director of Oboronprom corporation Andrei Reus told Kommersant. Reus did not specify details of the contract only saying that
