Aviation
Royal Navy flagship returns from six-month deployment
Royal Navy’s current flagship, HMS Ocean, wrapped up an eventful six-month deployment to the Middle East and returned to HMNB Devonport, Plymouth on March 24. During her deployment, HMS Ocean became the first UK warship to lead the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s Task Force (CTF) 50 in the Arabi
Peru commissions new polar oceanographic research vessel
The Peruvian Navy commissioned its newest polar oceanographic research vessel, B.A.P. Carrasco during a ceremony on March 22. The 97 metre ‘BAP Carrasco’ was built at Construcciones Navales P. Freire shipyard in Vigo, Spain, and handed over to Peru earlier this month. BAP Carrasco was launched in Vi
Japan commissions second helicopter destroyer JS Kaga
The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned its second Izumo-class helicopter-destroyer, the JS Kaga, during a ceremony held on March 22 at the Japan Marine United shipyard. The 27,000 tonne ship is the second helicopter carrier in a class which Japan officially refers to as helicopte
HMAS Canberra flight trials a tri-service undertaking
The first of class flight trials that Royal Australian Navy’s landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra conducted demanded engagement of Army test pilots, Navy flight test engineers and Air Force technicians, all working on the task. Canberra’s Commander Air, Commander Adrian Capner said that military a
Elbit bags $49M US Navy helmet display contract
Elbit Systems of America, a subsidiary of Israel-based Elbit Systems has received a $49.8 million contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center for the delivery of MH-60 helmet display tracker systems (HDTS). Under the contract, Elbit is to deliver a maximum of 126 of the systems and associated lin
Royal Navy’s Lynx helicopters go out of service
Staff and students from the Royal Naval Air Engineering & Survival Equipment School (RNAESS), based at HMS Sultan had a special way of saying goodbye to the Royal Navy’s Lynx helicopter fleet which is officially leaving service today. 440 of them gathered on the parade ground recently to spell out t
USS America completes its first mid-cycle inspection
The crew of the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) completed their first mid-cycle inspection (MCI) on March 17, in preparation for deployment later this year. MCI is a four-day readiness inspection that takes place every 2 1/2 years. The inspection is conducted by the Board of
Babcock to support design work on US Coast Guard’s new Offshore Patrol Cutters
Eastern Shipbuilding Group has brought in British company Babcock International to provide platform engineering design for the design and construction phases of the United States Coast Guard’s new Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) class vessels. Under the contract, Babcock will deliver a whole ship 3D mo
Advanced Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov starts final state trials
The lead ship of the Russian Navy’s 4,550-ton Project 22350 frigates, Admiral Gorshkov, has started the final set of state trials, Russian Severnaya Verf, part of United Shipbuilding Corporation, announced on Monday. The frigate headed for the Northern Fleet’s practice region where the crew, togethe
Navantia contracts MAN for Australian Navy tankers
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has picked MAN to provide main and GenSet engines to power the two new fleet support tankers that are to be built for the Royal Australian Navy. According to MAN, each vessel will feature two 18V 32/40 main engines and four 7L21/31 GenSets with shipset deliveries schedul
USS Carter Hall arrives in Romania for joint amphibious exercise
U.S. Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) and embarked marines transited the Bosphorus Strait on March 17 to visit Romania and take part in the bilateral amphibious operations exercise Spring Storm 2017. The exercise is taking place in the Black Sea between March 18 and 21. S
Royal Navy’s HMS Westminster tests Sting Ray light-weight torpedo
Royal Navy frigate HMS Westminster tested her Sting Ray light-weight torpedo during her weapons systems trials which she started after undergoing a two-year refit. A drogue parachute begins to deploy as a Sting Ray is propelled from its launcher and the magazine-launched torpedo system on the ‘capit
Australian frigate rescues three from stricken yacht
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Parramatta rescued three South African sailors from a yacht which lost its mast in rough sea approximately 1,300 kilometres southwest of Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia. The three yachtsmen of a 13-metre yacht activated an emergency response beacon late on March
Mount Etna eruption as seen through Royal Navy helicopter’s infrareds
When Europe’s tallest active volcano erupted on Thursday, March 16, a pair of Royal Navy helicopters, searching for submarines during a NATO exercise, managed to capture the moment on their infrared cameras. After their successful mission to find and hypothetically destroy a Spanish submarine, which