Aviation
HII begins fabrication of 13th San Antonio-class ship ‘Richard M. McCool, Jr.’
Huntington Ingalls Industries has officially started fabrication of the 13th San Antonio-class ship, the future USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD-29), at its shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut. “We are excited to comme
Australian SEA1180 OPVs to feature Terma’s air and surface surveillance radars
Saab Australia has awarded Danish defense technology company Terma a contract for the delivery of its Scanter 6002 radars for the Royal Australian Navy’s new SEA1180 offshore patrol vessels. Terma Singapore is set to deliver air and surface surveillance radars for all 12 OPVs over a period of 10 yea
Fincantieri starts construction of first Doha-class corvette for Qatari Navy
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
Spanish Navy commissions fifth BAM ship ‘Audaz’
The Spanish Navy commissioned its fifth Buque de Acción Marítima (BAM) ship in a ceremony in San Fernando on July 27. The ceremony was chaired by Ángel Olivares Ramírez, Secretary of State for Defense, with the head of the Spanish Navy (AJEMA), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and other gover
US aircraft carrier responds to distress call near Hawaiian island
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) has rescued five mariners stranded in shallow water near Hawaii’s Niihau island. The five mariners issued a distress call from their 36-foot vessel on July 27. Two MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to the “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat S
Royal Navy frigate joins Combined Task Force 150 in Red Sea
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
US 7th Fleet sailors rescue divers off Guam
US Navy’s Guam-based “Island Knight” sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 rescued three divers separated from their boat more than 15 miles from the Guam shore on July 26. US Coast Guard Sector Guam notified HSC-25 that the divers who were spearfishing had gone missing. A rescue miss
French Navy receives fifth FREMM multi-mission frigate ‘Bretagne’
French shipbuilder Naval Group has delivered the fifth FREMM multi-mission frigate, FS Bretagne, to the French Navy. Bretagne was handed over to the French Government Defense procurement and technology agency (DGA) on July 18, nine months after it concluded its first trials. The anti-submarine warfa
UK F-35Bs start vertical landing pad training
The UK’s short take off vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B jets have started training on the first of three vertical landing pads at RAF Marham. The VLPs are built for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation by a joint venture between Galliford Try and Lagan Construction. The Norfolk site is the main op
NAVCAD contracts Insitu for more ScanEagle UAS deliveries to Afghanistan
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
BNS Godetia becomes NATO SNMCMG1 flagship
Belgian Navy command and support ship BNS Godetia assumed the role of NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) flagship on July 22, taking over from Dutch submarine support ship HNLMS Mercuur (A900). Despite having 780,000 nautical miles on the clock, Godetia brings a wealth of capabilit
French Jeanne D’Arc task group returns from five-month Asia-Pacific deployment
Mistral-class amphibious assault ship Dixmude and La Fayette-class frigate FS Surcouf wrapped up the French Navy’s annual Jeanne D’Arc mission returning to naval base Toulon on July 19. The two ships got underway in late February and sailed a total of 26,500 nautical miles over a period of 145 days.
Canadian frigate HMCS St. John’s returns from SNMG1 deployment
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS St. John’s returned to her homeport in Halifax on July 23 after spending six months deployed to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). Joining SNMG1 on January 18, 2018, the frigate contributed to NATO operations as part of the Canadian operation Reassurance. Duri
Australian P-8A Poseidon fires first Harpoon missile during sinking exercise
The Australian P-8A Poseidon aircraft has achieved another milestone successfully firing its first Harpoon anti-ship missile during exercise RIMPAC 18 off Hawaii. The ATM-84J Harpoon missile was launched from the aircraft to sink its target, decommissioned US Navy ship USS Racine. Australian defense