Aviation
The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier now has a ping pong club
The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is so big that the crew have had enough space aboard to set up a ping pong club, according to a recent Royal Navy story. The Royal Navy says that the ride of the 65,000-ton ship is smooth enough to provide a stable platform for the […]
Fincantieri lays keel for Italian Navy’s new Landing Helicopter Dock ‘Trieste’
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held a keel laying ceremony for the Italian Navy’s new landing helicopter dock (LHD) at its Castellammare di Stabia shipyard on February 20. Construction on the ship started with a steel cutting ceremony on July 12, 2017, and the delivery is expected for 2022. The shi
Brazil’s purchase of HMS Ocean confirmed
The sale of Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to the Brazilian Navy has been officially confirmed, UK media reported. The price was set at £84 million, according to the reports. The sale is to take place next month while the ship itself will sail to Brazil in the summer. Babcock and BAE System
Four-nation drill Khunjar Haad concludes in Gulf of Oman
Ships and personnel from the navies of Oman, UK, France and US concluded the international exercise Khunjar Haad in the Gulf of Oman on February 8. Overall 11 vessels, including US Coast Guard ships, took part in the exercise. Khunjar Haad featured a variety of evolutions consisting of air-defense,
HMS Ocean returns to Plymouth with 203-meter decommissioning pennant
Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean on Friday returned to Devonport Naval Base for the final time as a commissioned Royal Navy ship. The flagship entered Plymouth welcomed by well-wishers and flanked by landing craft and tugs firing water hoses high into the air. The amphibious helicopter and co
HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives in Gibraltar on first overseas visit
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth pulled into Gibraltar on Friday morning for her first ever overseas port visit. The visit will be a logistical one for the 65,000-tonne future flagship which left her home in Portsmouth last week for helicopter trials. These helicopter trials take plac
Keel laid for Turkish landing helicopter dock TCG Anadolu
Turkish shipbuilder Sedef has held a keel-laying ceremony for the Turkish Navy amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu at its shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul. Once commissioned, the landing helicopter dock will be the first of its kind in the Turkish Navy. It is designed by Navantia and based on the Spanish
HMS Queen Elizabeth achieves another first by embarking air squadron
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth embarked 820 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) on February 5 in what is the first time that any squadron has embarked the ship. The Merlin Mk 2 helicopters of 820 NAS have been working with the ship since she sailed for the first time from Rosyth in June last [
Fincantieri completes STX France deal
Italy’s Fincantieri announced it has signed a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of 50% of the share capital of STX France from the French state. The agreement provides for a purchase price of euro 59.7 million (approx. USD$74M). The signing takes place after the resolution of the share pu
Fincantieri launches eighth Italian FREMM frigate Antonio Marceglia
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched the Italian Navy’s eighth FREMM frigate ‘Antonio Marceglia’ (F-597) at its Riva Trigoso shipyard in Genoa on February 3. The eighth of a series of 10 FREMM vessels was launched during a ceremony attended by Italian defense minister Roberta Pinotti and, on beh
HMS Queen Elizabeth gets underway for rotary wing trials
Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth welcomed Chinook helicopters on board for the first time as she got underway from Portsmouth for her next round of trials. HMS Queen Elizabeth sailed from Portsmouth on February 2 for the first time since being officially commissioned into the Royal
HMS Ocean on farewell visit to Portsmouth
The soon-to-be-decommissioned Royal Navy fleet flagship HMS Ocean arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base on February 2 on a farewell visit. The helicopter carrier and assault ship arrived just after dawn to pay a visit to the city before returning to her homeport of Devonport, Plymouth for the final time
French frigate Chevalier Paul wraps up counter-Daesh operations with USS Theodore Rossevelt
French Navy air-defense frigate FS Chevalier Paul has concluded three weeks of counter-Daesh operations in the Persian Gulf with the US carrier strike group centered around aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. During her time with the carrier strike group, Chevalier Paul provided air defense for
Naval Group launches sixth French Navy FREMM frigate Normandie
French shipbuilder Naval Group on February 1 launched the French Navy’s sixth FREMM frigate ‘Normandie’. The shipbuilder floated out its overall eight FREMM vessel 12 months after the start of hull assembly in the building dock on the Lorient site. This launch brought the company a step closer to th