New helicopters that will serve the Royal Marines have joined Britain’s flagship HMS Ocean off the south coast for basic amphibious training. The Sea King helicopters that were recently retired are replaced by the battlefield Merlin, which is, according to the Royal Navy, bigger, faster, more powerf
Spanish Navy minesweeper ESPS Tambre concluded its deployment to the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 and returned to Cartagena, Spain on March 28. The Segura-class minesweeper spent two months integrated into the maritime group which was comprised of ships from different NATO member stat
Photos: Belgian Navy Belgian Navy’s minehunter BNS Primula officially joined the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 on March 14 and on March 21 began its deployment as it, together with other ships from the group, sailed out of the Zeebruge harbor in Belgium. During the three months the shi
The U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet operating in Europe and Africa has established a new task force that will be solely responsible for ballistic missile defense in Europe. On March 24, Commodore Jeffrey Wolstenholme assumed command of the newly established Commander, Task Force 64, as the unit was named. U.S
Soldiers from the Royal Navy’s Submarine Parachute Assistance Group recently practised providing immediate assistance to a stricken boat in Studland Bay, Dorset. A dozen members of the Submarine Parachute Assistance Group, often shortened to SPAG, leapt from the back of a Hercules aircraft and into
Adhering to last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, the UK Ministry of Defence on March 22 awarded BAE Systems a £472 million (approx $668M) contract to progress the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme. Key equipment purchases will include diesel generators, sonar domes, which form the b
Zvezda shipyard (Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center) held a ceremony to mark the end of the overhaul period of the Russian Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine “Kuzbass” CEO of Zvezda shipyard Yuri Filchenok and Acting Armaments Commander, Pacific Fleet, Rear Admiral Igor Korolev, signed th
Approximately 60 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, submarines and shore facilities will be fitted with Kelvin Hughes’ SharpEye™ radars. The company said it would supply the radars in association with Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems UK who have signed a £44 million contract with the Mini
French patrol ship FS Commandant Bouan joined NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Aegean Sea last week. Commandant Bouan is the second ship to reinforce the mission against human traffickers as the Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Amstel sailed for the Aegean on March 10. SNMG2 is conducting
HMS Artful, Royal Navy’s first Astute Class submarine on March 18 officially started service with the Royal Navy after a ceremony at HM Naval Base Clyde. Since the 97 metre submarine was handed over to the Royal Navy by BAE Systems Submarines in December 2015, it has been conducting trials to prove
Led by the Turkish tender TCG Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasa, ships from NATO’s mine counter measures group two (SNMCMG2) arrived in Bar, Montenegro, March 18. The ships are on a scheduled port visit during the group’s deployment to the Mediterranean to enhance maritime security and readiness. The visit
Swedish Marine Brigadier General Ola Truedsson on March 10 visited the participants of NATO exercise Dynamic Move 16 (DME16) taking place in Oostende, Belgium. DME16 is an annual Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) tactical-level Mine Counter Measure Command Post Exercise and is designed to train parti
Commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone, visited the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 currently deployed to the Aegean with the task of combating migrant smuggling. The Commander went on board the German combat support ship EGV Bonn, the flagship of SNMG as the ship c
Spanish Navy Marine Corps recently practiced amphibious operations with the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship LHD Juan Carlos I and the Galicia-class landing platform dock LPD Castilla. The amphibious exercise, named ADELFIBEX-61, was conducted off the Gulf of Cadiz and the Spanish Naval Base Ro
