Aviation
FS Cassard rescues seafarers during Franco-Kuwaiti exercise Pearl of the West
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
USS Ashland concludes typhoon Yutu support
US Navy amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) departed the waters near Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on November 20 after assisting relief efforts in the aftermath of super typhoon Yutu. Ashland sailors worked with Department of Defense to provide suppo
F-35B lands “backwards” on HMS Queen Elizabeth in another Westlant 18 milestone
After acing the revolutionary shipborne rolling vertical landing earlier this year, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and the F-35 Lightning team have now achieved another milestone during the carrier’s flight trials off the US East Coast. As announced by the Royal Navy, an F-35B short
Lockheed gets $382m contract to build 8 MH-60R helicopters
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $382 million contract modification to manufacture and deliver eight MH-60R helicopters. The MH-60R Seahawk helicopter is used today by the US Navy as a primary platform for anti-submarine warfare in open ocean and littoral zones. Also known as the ‘Romeo’, t
After Spain visit, Russian cruiser escorted through English Channel
After concluding a refueling stop at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on November 12, Russian Navy cruiser Marshall Ustinov continued its voyage home and is now transiting the English Channel, under the watchful eye of Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans The Sava-class is en route to its Northern Fleet hom
Royal Navy reestablishes 744 Naval Air Squadron
The Royal Navy has reestablished the 744 Naval Air Squadron which will be responsible for introducing the Navy’s Crowsnest Merlin radar over the next 18 months. The Fleet Air Arm Squadron will also be responsible for the RAF’s upgraded Chinook Mk5s and Mk6s. Pooling 15 of the best aircrew and aviati
Australian minehunters joining US-Japanese mine warfare exercise
Mine countermeasure ships from the navies of the US and Japan will be joined by their Australian counterparts for a mine warfare exercise off the coast of southern Japan which kicks off November 17. The drill is called Mine Warfare Exercise 3JA 2018 and is part of an annual exercise series organized
Raising HNoMS Helge Ingstad to take three weeks
An operation to raise the almost-submerged Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad following a collision in the Hjeltefjorden fjord on November 8 is expected to be completed within some three weeks, the navy has said. Should all go according to plans, the stricken frigate will be loaded on
USS Lewis B. Puller embarks first airborne mine countermeasures in Middle East
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
USS Bulkeley returns from deployment with Harry S. Truman carrier strike group
US Navy destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) returned to Naval Station Norfolk on November 11, completing a seven-month deployment to the Navy’s US 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The ship operated as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) and also conducted independent operations in
US Navy P-8A joins Colombian, Peruvian submarines for ASW exercises
A US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 joined Peruvian and Colombian Navy submarines for a tri-lateral submarine exercise in the waters north of Colombia. The five-day exercise concluded on November 6 and provided opportunities to further the interoperability and coordination
CARAT kicks off in Brunei
The US Navy’s annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercise kicked off at Muara Naval Base, Brunei, November 12. The CARAT exercise series is conducted every year by the US Navy. The evolution in Brunei started after similar engagements concluded in Indonesia, Malaysia a
Royal Navy begins Tide-class Chinook trials
The Royal Navy has started Chinook helicopter trials for the Tide-class tankers off Portsmouth and in the Navy’s South Coast exercise areas. The trials for the largest helicopter in the UK armed forces inventory are taking place aboard RFA Tidesurge, the third of four ships in the class. The underta
Pilots eject as F/A-18 from USS Ronald Reagan crashes into Philippine Sea
An F/A-18 Hornet flying from US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) crashed into the Philippine Sea during routine operations on November 12. The F/A-18 from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 experienced a mechanical issue that forced the crew to eject, the US Navy said. The crew was recovered b