Teams from DCNS, the French Navy and defence procurement agency DGA recently completed a new test campaign aboard first-of-class FREMM multimission frigate Aquitaine, the last and most important being the first ever torpedo launch test from a FREMM frigate. After demonstrating FREMM frigate Aquitain
Following six months of preparation and training, Royal Navy mine hunter, HMS Blyth ”left the wall” on Friday, June 29, from her home port of HM Naval Base Clyde to start her journey to the Mediterranean for a six month NATO deployment. The highly equipped Sandown class ship is off to join a NATO ta
Over 600 members of HMS Sultan’s Ship’s Company and trainees turned out for Ceremonial Divisions on Friday 29 June, to be inspected by world famous yachtswoman, Dee Caffari. In her first official engagement as Honorary Commander Royal Naval Reserves, Dee Caffari MBE, having recently been appointed b
The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) is currently preparing for the Bulgarian naval exercise “BREEZE 2012”, an annual , national, naval exercise with international participation and directed by the Bulgarian Navy Command. The exercise involves naval units from the Bulgarian Navy, the Turkish N
From the 18th to 21st June 2012, EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) frigates Guépratte and Reina Sofia collaborated with USS Taylor, engaged in TF 508 (NATO) to escort World Food Programme chartered ship MV Tupi Maiden 3. The escort of WFP ship started in Salalah (Oman) and was performed by EUNAVFOR French f
On June 27, the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organization and Thales Nederland signed an agreement to modify the four SMART-L volume search radars installed on the “De Zeven Provinciën” class air defence and command frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The new SMART-L radar will be optimized for
Portsmouth based warship HMS Ledbury will return home today after spending six months working alongside NATO counterparts in the Mediterranean Sea. The Hunt Class minehunter and her 42 crew sailed in early January. Since then Ledbury has clocked up 12,000 nautical miles and spent her time operating
The Naval Service annual fleet exercise, Exercise Rua, is taking place from the 26th to the 28th of June 2012 off the South and South West Coast of Ireland. The Naval Service are currently conducting a major fleet exercise off the South West Coast of Ireland involving armed boarding parties, search
The Portsmouth-based warship spent 18 hours taking part in ten exercises practising a range of anti-surface operations against FS Lavallee, an Exocet-armed corvette, to demonstrating anti-air warfare against Rafale and Super Etendard fighter aircraft. As well as the war fighting opportunities the ne
Royal Navy ice patrol ship HMS Protector returns home to Portsmouth on Wednesday (June 27) from her maiden deployment to the frozen continent of Antarctica. The 5,000-tonne ice-breaker spent most of her seven months away surveying and patrolling the Antarctic Peninsula. In her first deployment since
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, will lead a project to develop new technologies to support unmanned naval vehicle missions, following an award of $3 million from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The development of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Unmanned Underwate
Royal Navy submarine HMS Vigilant has recently returned to her home in Scotland following a multi-million pound, three-year overhaul. The vessel, one of the UK’s four Vanguard Class nuclear submarines, was officially handed back to the Navy for operational use on Thursday, June 21, 2012. Known as a
Guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) arrived in Baltiysk, Russia, to participate in the annual multinational Exercise FRUKUS 2012, June 24. While the ship remained anchored off of the coast, senior leadership went ashore to meet with local civilian and military officials in support of the exe
Royal Imtech N.V. (IM-AE, technical services provider in and outside Europe) announces that it has signed a contract for the design and supply of all electric systems to power three Turkish Navy Auxiliary vessels, consisting of one Submarine Rescue Mother Ship (MoShip) and two Rescue and Towing Ship