Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare announced that the Australian Government had approved the acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ naval combat helicopters at a cost of over $3 billion. The 2009 Defence White Paper committed the Government to equippin
Britain’s flagship HMS Albion has passed through the Suez Canal as the Navy’s key deployment of 2011 resumes. Events in Libya saw the assault ship, her escorting frigate HMS Sutherland and tanker RFA Wave Knight, plus helicopter carrier HMS Ocean and ‘floating warehouse’ RFA Fort Rosalie, diverted t
Survey ship HMS Echo is giving the anti-piracy effort in the Indian Ocean ‘the edge’ by updating badly-needed charts of the region – eliminating no-go areas for Allied warships. The Devonport-based ship is gathering reams of bathymetric data – recording the depth of the ocean – in these troubled wat
Two boats used by Colonel Gaddafi’s special forces were blown out of the water and an anti-aircraft battery destroyed by Apache gunships operating from HMS Ocean. In the latest action involving the Army Air Corps helicopters aboard Britain’s biggest warship, the Apaches were scrambled to intercept h
Sailors will be able to use 3-D avatars to train on ships that are currently under construction thanks to cutting edge simulation technology being used in Australia. Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare visited KBR in Canberra to see first hand a demonstration of the virtual Landing Helicopter
George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG), centered around the Navy’s only full-time forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS George Washington (CVN 73), returned to sea to begin their summer patrol, June 12. “After a six month long maintenance period, George Washington is an [increasingly] moder
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare was at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Nowra to announce that Sea King Shark 07 would be preserved at the Museum given the significant role the Sea King has played in Naval Aviation over the last 36 years. “The Sea King has served our nation well over […]
On 7 June 2011, at the Damen yard in Galatz, the keel was laid down for the Joint Support Ship (JSS). The ceremony was performed by Rear Admiral K. Visser of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Further construction of the vessel will largely take place at Damen Shipyard Galatz, supervised by Damen Schelde N
A tragedy has been avoided in the English Channel, thanks to the actions of a Royal Navy warship and her crew. The Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Mersey was on a routine fishery patrol in the English Channel, approximately 40 miles south west of Dover in the middle of the Traffic Separation Zone (the sh
Phoenix Express 2011 (PE-11), a multi-national maritime exercise between U.S., North African and European naval forces, conducted the first day of at sea boarding exercises, June 7. Five ships got underway from Souda Bay, Greece, on June 6, joining one already at sea, bringing together six of the ei
Raytheon Company submitted its proposal for the U.S. Army and Navy’s Joint Air-to-Ground Missile competition and responded as a prime contractor. Raytheon is teamed with The Boeing Company for the JAGM program. Raytheon and Boeing have proven capabilities that were showcased in the JAGM technology d
Sailors of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 will arrive at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled port visit on June 7. Vinson is currently transiting to her homeport in San Diego following a six-month deployment to the Western
Apache Attack Helicopters, flying from HMS Ocean, conducted their first operational sorties over Libya last night as part of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector to protect civilians under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. The mission was carefully coordinated with other allied air miss
The Russian-French delivery contract for 4 Mistral class assault landing ships will be signed till June 21, 2011 although in concise form, writes Vedomosti referring to a source in defense industry. The document will refer to further supplementary protocols wherever the issues are disputable. They w
