Aviation
Egypt takes delivery of first Gowind corvette from France
French shipbuilder Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS) delivered the first Gowind 2500 corvette to the Egyptian Navy on Friday, September 22. The ceremony took place in Lorient in the presence of Admiral Ahmed Khaled, commander in chief of the Egyptian Navy, Hervé Guillou, president and CEO of Nava
US, UK navies complete mine countermeasure drill in Persian Gulf
Navy ship from the UK and US concluded their regularly scheduled mine warfare drill in the central Persian Gulf on September 21. Mine Countermeasures Exercise (MCMEX) 17-3 is a quarterly bilateral exercise aimed at ensuring undisturbed operations of naval and support vessels, as well as commercial s
HMS Diamond gets underway from Montenegro as SNMG2 flagship
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond assumed command of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The ceremony, in which Diamond relieved sister ship HMS Duncan, took place in Montenegro over the weekend. Duncan was originally to be replaced by helicopter c
Exercise Alligator Dagger concludes in Djibouti
Amphibious ships from the US Navy’s America amphibious ready group along with the expeditionary support base ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) concluded over two weeks of drills off the coast of Djibouti on September 20. Marines and sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) with
US Navy is introducing Xbox controllers on new submarines
In a move envisioned to bring more efficiency at a lower cost, the US Navy will have its sailors use Xbox controllers on future Virginia-class submarines. The video game controllers will be controlling the two photonic masts that provide submariners with a 360 degree real-time situational awareness
Australian frigate HMAS Newcastle wraps up ops with USS Nimitz
Royal Australian Navy’s Adelaide-class guided missile frigate HMAS Newcastle concluded her cooperation with US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf. The frigate joined the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Arabian Gulf during her deployment on maritime security operations in the Middle East Re
Danish sailor dies aboard HDMS Absalon during Baltic Sea drill
A Royal Danish Navy able seaman died in an accident aboard support ship HDMS Absalon on Monday, September 18. According to the Danish defense forces command, the sailor sustained a severe head injury while the ship was at sea, taking part in an international drill in the Baltic Sea. The ship called
US Navy receives amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27)
Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries delivered the 11th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD 27) to the US Navy in a ceremony on September 18. Shipbuilders from HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, ship’s force and representatives of Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast at
US Coast Guards offloads $50m of cocaine seized in the Caribbean
The US Coast Guard has offloaded some 1,800 kilograms of cocaine worth over $50 million in St. Petersburg, on Saturday. The cocaine was seized from a tanker in the Caribbean during a routine patrol in August this year. Crewmembers of the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma detected and intercepted a 226-foot
West Sea Shipyards launches Portuguese Navy Viana do Castelo-class OPV ‘Setubal’
NRP Setubal, the fourth Portuguese Navy Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), was launched on September 13 at West Sea Shipyards. The vessel is expected to join the navy by June 2018 replacing one of the remaining Baptista de Andrade or João Coutinho-class corvettes. West Sea Shipyard
Royal Navy’s HMS Albion completes sea trials after six years in port
Royal Navy amphibious warship HMS Albion has completed her sea trials this week and is all set for an official return to the fleet and operations in 2018. HMS Albion’s sea trials followed a two-year, £90m revamp after the ship had been mothballed in 2011, just eight years after she joined the fleet.
EU operation Atalanta welcomes Dutch amphibious ship HNLMS Rotterdam
Royal Dutch Navy’s landing platform dock HNLMS Rotterdam joined the EU-led counter piracy operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia on September 13. HNLMS Rotterdam set sail from her homeport Den Helder on August 27. In addition to the Dutch crew, a Swedish boarding team and two Swedish fast attac
New Zealand Navy’s largest ship to feature Kelvin Hughes navigation systems
British navigation and surveillance company Kelvin Hughes on Thursday announced it has been selected to deliver its navigation equipment for the largest Royal New Zealand Navy ship currently under construction in South Korea. Under a contract awarded by shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, Kelvin H
Germany awards €2.4bln contract for five new K130 corvettes
The German defense procurement agency BAAINBw has authorized a €2.4 billion contract for the construction of five new Braunschweig-class (K130) corvettes. The ARGE K130 consortium, composed of Lürssen Werft, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the recently incorporated German Naval Yards Kiel, will be d