US destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) tested the new AEGIS Virtual Twin system, a prototype of the AEGIS virtual combat management system, in a March live-fire missile launch. Thomas Hudner’s crew operated the Virtual Twin to fire a missile against an incoming target, proving the Virtual Twin can
The US Coast Guard and US Navy have awarded VT Halter Marine a contract for the detail design and construction (DD&C) of the lead Polar Security Cutter (PSC). Under an initial award valued at $745.9 million, the Pascagoula-based shipbuilder will design and deliver the first new heavy icebreaker for
Ships from the Royal Canadian navy made their Phoenix Express debut as they joined the exercise on March 29. The 15th edition of the training event kicked off in the western Mediterranean Sea, in and around the territorial waters of various North African countries. For the next week, they worked coo
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) came a step closer to rejoining the fleet after it was launched and moored pier-side at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) – Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard, April 16. The ship is undergoing a complex repair and restoration following a collis
Two groups of ships assembled around aircraft carriers from the navies of the US and France gathered in the Red Sea for a three-nation passing exercise (PASSEX) on April 15. France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group, composed of Marine Nationale’s FS Charles De Gaulle (R 91), F70AA-class air d
Ships from the navies of the US, the UK and France have kicked off the mine countermeasures exercise Artemis Trident in the Persian Gulf. “Mine laying poses a risk to naval ships as well as merchant shipping vessels,” the US 5th Fleet said in an announcement. “As mines threaten maritime traffic indi
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Biological Technology Office has partnered with Northrop Grumman for the development of prototype sensing capabilities that would use undersea organisms to detect and track undersea threats. The program is also known as Persistent Aquatic Li
Philippine and US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force service members on April 11 carried out an amphibious drill as part of the bilateral annual exercise Balikatan 2019. The amphibious assault took place at Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), Zambales, and involved the movement of assault amp
The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems a multi-year contract for the purchase of 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The $3.1 billion contract is in support of full rate production for fiscal years 2019-2023. This is the second MYP contract awarded to the compa
NATO’s Allied Maritime Command hosted a ceremony on the 70th anniversary of the alliance to ceremonially activate a new command called Commander Surface Forces NATO (COMSURFNATO). This April 4 activation is part of NATO’s Command Structure Adaptation (NCS-A) remarking new NATO at its birthday. One o
The US Naval Sea Systems Command is kick-starting the $21 billion plan to upgrade the four public shipyards to improve their productivity and increase their maintenance throughput in order to support the combat readiness of the navy the nation needs. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Shipyard I
The US 2nd Fleet (C2F) is scheduled to lead the major Baltic Sea exercise BALTOPS 2019, seven months after the command was re-established at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The US 2nd Fleet, which falls under operational control of the US Fleet Forces Command, was set up again after previously bein
The US Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) arrived in Subic Bay, on March 30, ahead of exercise Balikatan. Wasp arrived in the Philippines with embarked Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) 4, which are led by 4th Marine Regiment. This will
Royal Navy auxiliary landing ship dock RFA Mounts Bay served as the test bed for a mobile US Navy minehunting force during a recent test off the coast of Virginia. The test included helicopters, divers, remote-controlled boats and automated surveying machines and was intended to see whether a task f
