The Royal Navy has commissioned its second Tide-class tanker RFA Tiderace in a dedication ceremony in Portland. In a half-hour ceremony, attended by the 39,000-tonne ship’s sponsor, Lady Anita Lister, the head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Commodore Duncan Lamb and crew, RFA Chaplain the Rev Mike Hil
Denmark’s defense department has received the final two of overall nine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters delivered by Sikorsky Aircraft under a $686 million contract. The aircraft arrived at the Royal Danish Air Force base Karup on August 1 aboard an American C17 aircraft. MH-60R Seahawks will be flown by
The Russian Navy commissioned the lead ship of the Project 22350 frigates – the Admiral Gorshkov – in a ceremony in St. Petersburg on July 28. Attended by the Russian deputy chief of navy and other government and shipyard officials, the ceremony was held ahead of the Russian Navy Day celebrations on
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has marked the official start of construction of the first Doha-class corvette for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces. The steel cutting ceremony for the vessel took place on Monday at the Muggiano (La Spezia) yard, in the presence of the Qatari defense minister, His Excell
The Spanish Navy commissioned its fifth Buque de Acción Marítima (BAM) ship in a ceremony in San Fernando on July 27. The ceremony was chaired by Ángel Olivares Ramírez, Secretary of State for Defense, with the head of the Spanish Navy (AJEMA), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and other gover
Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll joined the international Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) during a recent visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Currently under command of Royal Navy Commodore Steve Moorhouse, CTF 150 is part of the 32-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), is responsible for disrupting the
French shipbuilder Naval Group has delivered the fifth FREMM multi-mission frigate, FS Bretagne, to the French Navy. Bretagne was handed over to the French Government Defense procurement and technology agency (DGA) on July 18, nine months after it concluded its first trials. The anti-submarine warfa
The UK’s short take off vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B jets have started training on the first of three vertical landing pads at RAF Marham. The VLPs are built for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation by a joint venture between Galliford Try and Lagan Construction. The Norfolk site is the main op
Belgian Navy command and support ship BNS Godetia assumed the role of NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) flagship on July 22, taking over from Dutch submarine support ship HNLMS Mercuur (A900). Despite having 780,000 nautical miles on the clock, Godetia brings a wealth of capabilit
Mistral-class amphibious assault ship Dixmude and La Fayette-class frigate FS Surcouf wrapped up the French Navy’s annual Jeanne D’Arc mission returning to naval base Toulon on July 19. The two ships got underway in late February and sailed a total of 26,500 nautical miles over a period of 145 days.
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS St. John’s returned to her homeport in Halifax on July 23 after spending six months deployed to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). Joining SNMG1 on January 18, 2018, the frigate contributed to NATO operations as part of the Canadian operation Reassurance. Duri
The Portuguese Navy’s newest Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessel – the NRP Sines – was commissioned in a ceremony at the West Sea Shipyards on July 20. NRP Sines enters service after being launched in May 2017 and completing sea trials a year later, in late May 2018. Portuguese prime minis
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer UMS SKELDAR has unveiled an improved unmanned helicopter at the Farnborough Airshow. With a focus on maritime and naval applications, the new SKELDAR V-200B is a modification of the company’s mid-sized heavy fuel engine VTOL. The SKELDAR V-200B completed it
The NH90 Sea Lion helicopters Airbus is constructing for the German Navy entered the qualification phase as the second prototype helicopter performed its first flight in serial configuration on July 10. The event marked the beginning of the helicopter’s qualification phase which will be undertaken t
