Exercise FLOTEX-15, organized by the Spanish Navy, will be conducted in the Gulf of Cadiz, Strait of Gibraltar, Alboran Sea and the Western Mediterranean. Participating units include 20 surface ships, 1 submarine, a Marine Corps Landing Force and different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft; a total of
Danish Navy ship HDMS Absalon and the Republic of Korea Navy ship ROKS Chungmugong joined forces for mutual training in the Gulf of Oman this week. The sea training began with replenishment-at-sea (RAS) navigation manoeuvres. HDMS Absalon made the first of these manoeuvres with ROKS Chungmugong stan
The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $102.8 million contract modification to provide research and development and lead-yard services for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. Under the contract, Electric Boat will undertake development studies and other work related
The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command awarded a total of $225.3M for the development and production of a new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). SAIC, the American-based government contractor, received a $121.5M contract and BAE Systems recieved $103.7M for the build of initial 13 prototypes. The two c
US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) surpassed the one-year mark on her scheduled 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore in support of the Indo-Asia-Pacific rebalance November 17. Fort Worth deployed from San Diego on November 17, 2014 and operates out of Singapore as a mainten
U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft embarked on Royal Navy’s HMS Ocean transferred Royal and US Marines ashore Corsica during a simulated beach assault which rounded off Exercise Blue Raptor. The soldiers from Arbroath-based 45 Commando Royal Marines have been working with their US colleagues for the
The German Mine Countermeasures Ship FGS Bad Rappenau is expected to sail into the Kiel naval base on November 27. The 3rd Minesweeping Squadron ship was part of SNMCMG 1 (Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1) during the last four months as a German contribution to NATO forces. The ship left
The U.S. Navy’s destroyer USS Stethem teamed with People’s Liberation Army-Navy PLA(N) guided-missile frigate Xuzhou (FFG 530) to practice the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and conduct a search-and-rescue (SAR) exercise on November 20. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile ship, Steth
UK’s new defence plan envisions the commissioning of new Type 26 Global Combat Ships from the mid-2020s, upgraded maritime helicopters and the new aircraft carrier in operating capability by 2020. This plan is backed with a £178 B budget which represents a £12 B increase on previous plans. The Natio
Britain’s newest warship, HMS Duncan, spent a week in the Black Sea with the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies. Fresh from operations in the Gulf, the ship sailed through the Bosphorus to work with NATO allies. Operating off Burgas, Bulgaria, and Constanța, Romania, the destroyer carried out training ma
The U.S. Navy’s future USS Omaha (LCS 12) and fourth Austal-built littoral combat ship was launched in Mobile, Alabama on November 20. Omaha was rolled out of her assembly bay at the Austal USA Shipyard onto a barge for transfer down the Mobile River to a floating drydock at BAE Shipyard on November
The U.S. Navy has announced that commissioning of its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), would take place on Saturday, Nov. 21 during a ceremony on Milwaukee’s waterfront. Milwaukee, designated LCS 5, honors the city of Milwaukee and is the fifth U.S. ship in the nat
British naval and air forces based in the Falkland Islands responded to a distress call by the 10,000 tonne cruise ship Le Boreal on November 18. The ship reported suffering a major engine room fire, which caused the loss of all power and left the ship drifting. Strong winds placed the ship in real
The UK Ministry of Defence awarded Bae Systems a £1.3 billion contract to build the fifth Astute-class submarine for the Royal Navy on November 19. The full contract covers the design and remaining build, test and commissioning activities on Anson, the fifth of seven technologically-advanced submari
