Australian shipbuilder ASC signed a collaboration agreement with international engineering consultancy BMT to meet increasing demand for ASC’s submarine platform expertise and experience. The 12-month collaboration agreement, signed at ASC’s submarine headquarters at Osborne, South Australia, will s
The Australian government on January 31 announced it signed the patrol vessel construction contract with German shipbuilder Lürssen. Australian defense industry minster Christopher Pyne said the contract with Lürssen to lead the design and build is worth at least $3 billion for 12 OPVs. “The vessels
Navantia Australia announced it has teamed with Tasmanian firm Taylor Bros for work on the Royal Australian Navy’s Future Frigates. Navantia embedded a Taylor Bros team into its design and production teams for the SEA 5000 program creating the “Integrated Product Team” which the company said will “i
The Belgian government on Friday, January 26, decided to give the department of defense its green light for the acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels. The order will be placed jointly with the Netherlands Navy which will acquire an identical number of MCM ships. In addition to mine coun
The Australian federal government has unveiled a new defense export strategy aimed at turning Australia into a major defense exporter. The document, unveiled by defense industry minister Christopher Pyne on Monday, sets out the policy and strategy to make Australia one of the top ten global defense
A New Zealand Defence Force aircraft and an Australian Navy frigate joined forces in the Western Indian Ocean to interdict 915 kilos of heroin worth AUD$274 million. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft detected a suspicious vessel on January 23 prompting a boarding and investigation by the
Looking for new technologies to improve the operation of unmanned underwater vehicles, the Royal Navy used the Maritime Enterprise Innovation Scotland Conference (MEISC) to set challenges for developers. During the conference, held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on January 24, two speci
The Australian defense ministry has awarded Lockheed Martin a AU$700 million contract to design, build and integrate a combat system for the Royal Australian Navy’s future submarines. Announcing the contract on January 25, Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne said the contract with
German Navy frigate FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has completed a six-month deployment to the EU-led migrant-rescue operation Sophia and is currently on her way home. The F123 frigate has departed the Mediterranean Sea and is scheduled to enter her homeport in Wilhelmshaven on January 26. During her ti
The Royal Australian Navy has teamed with the Australian Army and industry to set up a new training system for a joint helicopter school. Rotary wing crews are now set to benefit from the newly-established Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) at a dedicated facility at HMAS Albatross. The first
US Navy Vice Adm. DeWolfe H. Miller III became the eighth Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Commander, relieving Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker in a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island, January 11. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran was the guest speaker. Commander, US Pacific F
Royal Navy frigate HMS Sutherland and her crew started a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary deployment on January 9, getting underway from their homeport at HM Naval Base Devonport. What is special about the Type 23 frigate’s deployment is that Sutherland will be the first Royal Navy vessel to operate in
The Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Warramunga aced her third Arabian Sea drug interception in two weeks on January 7, bringing the total value of drugs seized to an estimated value of AU$629 million. The latest operation saw the frigate’s crew seize 111 kilograms of heroin valued a
Members of the US House of Representatives have urged defense appropriators not to cut a proposed increase in funding for additional Virginia-class submarines. A letter, signed by 36 members of the House of Representatives and sent to the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, was released by co-ch
