French Navy anti-air warfare destroyer FS Cassard rescued twelve crew members of the Panama-flagged asphalt-bitumen tanker Durban Queen in the Persian Gulf on November 20. FS Cassard was en route to Kuwait and exercise Pearl of the West when it received a distress call from the nearby tanker. Accord
The US Navy’s expeditionary sea-base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) has embarked an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter assigned to the “Blackhawks” of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 15 for the first time in the US 5th Fleet area of operations. The training, which concluded Novemb
Royal Fleet Auxiliary amphibious support ship RFA Lyme Bay has arrived at the port of Duqm in Oman to join the Anglo-Omani exercise Saif Sareea 3. The 16,000-ton ship sailed 5,000 miles from Falmouth to Duqm, where Britain has permanent facilities to support naval operations in the region. The port
Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion has arrived in Oman ahead of the start of an exercise that will see the involvement of over 4,000 British personnel. Exercise Saif Sareea (Swift Sword) is the largest combined military exercise for UK forces since 2002 and HMS Albion will be in charge of
The first of ten future Royal Saudi Arabian Navy MH60-R Seahawk helicopters landed at Naval Station Mayport on October 2. Saudi pilots and crew are expected to spend the next three years training with HSM 40, a helicopter squadron based out of Naval Station Mayport. “This is an exciting day!” said L
French Navy frigate FS Floreal has seized over 7 tons of hashish from two dhows in the Indian Ocean on September 23 and 24. According to Combined Maritime Forces, the drugs are valued at $3.5m, based on street values in Yemen, which was the expected destination for the hashish. This is the most sign
Port Said, the first warship built in Egypt, has been launched in Alexandria. The launching ceremony took place at Alexandria Shipyard on September 6, French shipbuilder Naval Group informed. Today in Alexandria, the launching ceremony of the Port-Said took place. This state of the art #Gowind® 2500
Italian defense and aerospace contractor Leonardo announced that its $3.7 billion contract to deliver 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters to Qatar has been finalized. While initially signed on March 14, 2018, the contract for 16 NH90s in tactical transport (TTH) configuration a
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
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
The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAVCAD) has awarded Insitu Inc. a $10.8 million contract to deliver an additional 27 ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems to Afghanistan. In addition to the systems, the contract includes 37 payloads and spares in support of the government of the Isl
Repairs and maintenance will allow the ship to continue to be fully mission capable for the rest of its deployment
Spanish helicopter carrier ESPS Juan Carlos I and frigate ESPS Blaz de Lezo met up with EUNAVFOR units in the Red Sea recently as they transit towards the Persian Gulf. The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and F-100 class air defense frigate are deployed as part of a Spanish Navy operation call
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga has continued her drug interception streak with an additional two hauls of illicit narcotics in the Arabian Sea. The narcotics were intercepted following boarding operations in international waters of the Arabian Sea this week and are valued at approxima
