Construction of the second of eight Royal Navy Type 26 frigates has gotten underway with a ceremony on the river Clyde. The first steel for future HMS Cardiff was cut at prime contractor BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard where the company has already assembled first blocks of the lead City-class frigate H
The US Navy amphibious ready group (ARG) assembled around amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) has completed its first Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise. For the Bataan ARG, SWATT provided an important transition from single ship operations to multi-ship, aircraft, an
The New Zealand government has opened tenders for the construction of a new home for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. The government expects that the new facility for the P-8A fleet at RNZAF Base Ohakea would be completed in three years. “The government’s investment in
F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp used the GAU-22 cannon against a simulated target and executed the first shipboard hot reload of ordnance in the Indo-Pacific region while underway in the Solomon Sea. The aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor S
An explosion at a Russian military range in Nyonoksa in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region on August 8 killed two and injured another six servicemembers, defense officials have confirmed. The Arctic missile test site is used by the Russian Navy to test intercontinental ballistic missiles. Following
The US state department has approved the sale of twelve MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to the Republic of Korea. The country earlier seemed poised to acquire 12 Leonardo AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters but South Korea’s defense procurement agency (DAPA) announced earlier this year it woul
The Mexican Navy Yard ASTIMAR 1 in Tampico has launched the final of eight Oaxaca-class patrol ships to be built for the Armada de México. Launched on July 20, the vessel was named Tabasco, with hull number P-168. The Mexican Navy noted that in comparison with its predecessors, Tabasco features impr
US Navy’s Japan-based amphibious ships met up with their Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) counterparts for training off Australia. US Navy transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) trained with Hyūga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH 18
Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra returned home last week, completing a six-month deployment to Asia. The 230-meter LHD sailed almost 22,000 nautical miles during the deployment, visiting Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia as part of the
Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra has completed trials to transport an M1A1 main battle tank and large vehicle loads ashore using an LHD landing craft. The tests, carried out with the Australian Army’s 3rd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Regiment and 3rd Combat Service Support Battali
After choosing the NHIndustries-developed NH90 to replace its old Sea King search and rescue helicopters, the German Navy now announced that it has picked the NH90 as replacement for the Sea Lynx Mk 88A helicopters. The navy said the decision to have a single aircraft type adjusted for performing bo
The Japanese government intends to acquire around 20 unmanned helicopters for its Maritime Self Defense Forces (JMSDF), local media reports have said citing unnamed officials. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the acquisition of a yet unspecified large, unmanned helicopter fleet would be in response
The US Military Sealift Command’s expeditionary fast transport vessel USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) headed out to sea recently to test a range unmanned systems during a two-day underway. One of the less prominent systems that was tested was the V-BAT vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial v
The US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Modules (MM) program is cleared to begin developmental testing following a successful structural test firing of the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM) on an Independence-variant LCS. Developmental testing is set to start in August after the test
