Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently undergoing extensive F-35B flight trials with the aim of determining the operational limits of both the ship and the fifth-generation stealth jets it is poised to operate. One of the trial evolutions included loading one of the jets with w
French shipbuilder Naval Group has hosted a steel-cutting ceremony for the French Navy’s first Fregate de Taille Intermediaire (FTI) frigate at its Lorient site. The lead ship in the class, to be named after the French sailor and general Pierre-Alexis Ronarc’h, is scheduled to be delivered in 2023.
Armed forces personnel from the UK and France have concluded two weeks of training as part of the Griffin Strike exercise, a major rehearsal for the development of the UK-French Combined Joint Expeditionary Force. This year, Griffin Strike was combined with exercise Joint Warrior, and included repre
The Russian Navy’s second Project 22350 frigate, Admiral Kasatonov, has begun state trials ahead of the ship’s delayed delivery which is expected to take place by the end of the year. According to the Northern Shipyard, Admiral Kasatonov has already passed a number of checkpoints, including tests of
Royal Navy base Portsmouth is now ready to welcome the second of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers after works on a new jetty were successfully completed. HM Naval Base Portsmouth will now be able to berth both Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers side-by-side in a £30 million investment to e
The Philippine Coast Guard’s future offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang has passed its first sea trials, the French shipbuilder in charge of delivering the vessel announced. The milestone was achieved three months after the OPV was launched by OCEA at its Les Sables d’Olonne site. Hailed as t
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose and French Cassard-class frigate FS Jean Bart made another drugs bust in the Arabian Sea operating as part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150. The suspicious dhow was initially located by FS Jean Bart’s helicopter and boarded by a team from the French ship
Navy ships taking part in the Royal Navy-led exercise Joint Warrior got underway from Faslane, Scotland, this week to start two weeks of drills in Scottish exercise areas. A dozen NATO nations are taking part with 16 warships, three submarines and nearly 60 aircraft, set to attend. Overlapping with
The Italian Navy has hosted another dual-ship decommissioning ceremony as it proceeds with its plans for the downsizing and modernization of an ageing fleet. Maestrale-class frigate ITS Euro and the patrol ship ITS Aviere, which was initially destined for Iraq, bowed out of service in a ceremony at
The fifth and final unit from the second batch of the Royal Navy’s River-class offshore patrol vessels was formally named as work on HMS Spey nears completion. The ceremony was the latest milestone in a seven-year program which will give the Royal Navy a fleet of new patrol ships. As with her sister
A keel-laying ceremony held in Cadiz, Spain, has marked the start of assembly works on the Royal Saudi Navy’s first Avante 2200 corvette. The ships are built by SAMI Navantia Naval Industries (SAMINavantia), a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and Navantia S.A. The keel-
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and HMS Queen Elizabeth met up for a photo exercise.
The Italian Navy retired the last of its Minerva-class corvettes in a sunset ceremony at the Augusta naval base on September 25. With the decommissioning of ITS Driade and ITS Minerva after their 30-year service, the navy is advancing its plan of downsizing an ageing fleet. Driade and Minerva were t
The Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has welcomed the first aircraft on its flight deck as it embarks on its maiden trials off the Scottish coast. Less than 24 hours after the ship sailed into open waters for the first time, a Merlin helicopter was guided safely into land on
