Sailors aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarine HMAS Rankin held a burial at sea ceremony recently, scattering the ashes of three former Royal Navy submariners off the coast of Western Australia. The ceremony is known as a Committal of Ashes to the Sea (COATS) in the Royal Austral
After concluding a historic visit to Vietnam on March 9, US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson started a bilateral exercise with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier JS Ise. Carl Vinson and JS Ise are joined by US destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), which is part of th
The Royal Australian Navy concluded exercise Ocean Explorer, its largest fleet training activity for 2018. The exercise concluded on March 11 as ten ships and their embarked aircraft returned to Royal Australian Navy Base HMAS Creswell. “Most importantly it has seen more than 2,000 men and women fro
The US Navy’s Military Sealift Command-operated hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in the US 7th Fleet area of operations on March 10 to serve as a platform for exercise Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18). PP18 is scheduled to have more than 800 US military personnel stationed worldwide, workin
HMAS Toowoomba has strengthened the Royal Australian Navy’s ties to international navies after hosting personnel from the United Kingdom and New Zealand during Exercise Ocean Explorer 2018. A junior officer from each country worked onboard the frigate during navy’s premier fleet warfighting activity
Sweden’s defense contractor Saab has signed a contract with Australia’s ASC for the supply of an updated Integrated Ship Control Management and Monitoring System (ISCMMS) for four Royal Australian Navy Collins class submarines. As informed, the contract value is AUD 24.2 million (around USD 19 milli
Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha has arrived in Canada where she will undergo combat management system upgrades at Seaspan’s shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia. The 25-day passage to British Columbia was marked by a brief port visit in Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor where Te Kaha and her crew
The wreck of one of the first US Navy aircraft carriers has been located on the floor of the Coral Sea, 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia. The USS Lexington was discovered 3,000 meters (about two miles) below the surface by the expedition crew of research vessel (R/V) Petrel on March 4 –
US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sailors and personnel are all set for seven days of bilateral exercises as part of exercise MultiSail 2018 which starts March 8. MultiSail is an annual bilateral training exercise that improves interoperability between US and Japanese forces. In
Australian defense industry minister on March 2 announced the signing of a AU$1.2 billion program for the five-year upkeep of Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigates. The sustainment contract has secured the jobs of almost 1700 workers minister Christopher Pyne said on Friday. The contract is an
Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group and CEA Technologies have signed a five-year research and development agreement under which they will collaborate new solutions for Australian defense’s future requirements in radar, communications, and electronic warfare. The research agreement was s
Royal Australian Navy base HMAS Cairns will soon be able to welcome larger naval ships, including amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers, as it is set to benefit from a planned upgrade to the Port of Cairns. The AUD$120 million upgrade to the Port of Cairns is closer thanks to the finalisati
Royal Australian Navy’s amphibious ship HMAS Canberra tested its anti-ship missile defense off the south coast of New South Wales as part of exercise Ocean Explorer. Upgrades to the Nulka anti-ship missile decoy system have been tested with the use of civilian aircraft including an underslung Nulka
The Australian defense department has awarded Saab a contract to continue sustainment works for the Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigates under the Warship Asset Management Agreement (WAMA). WAMA is a strategic partnership which includes Saab Australia, BAE Systems Australia Defence and Naval S
