The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Boeing Co. a $90.4 million contract for studies and analysis related to the US Navy’s MQ-25 carrier-based unmanned refueling aircraft. The contract from December 19 builds on an earlier one from August 30 with which the US Navy announced it had selected B
The navies of Australia, France and the US concluded a four-day ‘Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Readiness and Evaluation Measurement’ (SHAREM) 195 exercise in the Arabian Sea on December 18. Participating ships included French navy F70AA-class air defense destroyer FS Cassard (D 614), and Royal Austral
The focus of the Royal Australian Navy’s 2019 Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE19) will focus on developing cooperation with the Indian Navy, Australian defense minister has announced. Engagement with India, one of Australia’s key strategic partners in the Indian Ocean region, will be the cornerstone for
Hydrographic survey ship HMS Echo arrived in Odessa on December 19, becoming the first Royal Navy ship to visit Ukraine since the Sea of Azov crisis from late November when Russian forces seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels and detained Ukrainian sailors. Echo docked in Odessa after entering the Bla
US defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced it has delivered the first Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) to the US Air Force, achieving early operational capability (EOC) status ahead of schedule. The air-launched LRASM variant, integrated onboard the B-1B bombers, provides an early operatio
Royal Canadian Navy vessels ranging from coastal defense vessels through frigates to replenishment oilers returned to their Atlantic and Pacific bases from operations in European, South American, and Asia-Pacific waters. Kingston-class coastal defense vessels HMCS Edmonton and Nanaimo returned to Ca
The US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) has awarded design firm Stantec a $35 million contract for the planning and preliminary design of a multi-mission dry dock and other upgrades at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine. Stantec’s work will include comprehensive prelimin
Submarine rescue specialists from France, Norway and the United Kingdom gathered at HM Naval Base Clyde to take part in a NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) training exercise. Over 110 people participated in the week-long event – the largest evacuation exercise ever to be planned at Faslane – bring
US Navy sailors attached to the amphibious ready group centered around the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) started their deployment on December 17, after getting underway from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. In addition to USS Kearsarge as the flagship, the group includes S
The US Navy established Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – its first CMV-22B squadron – in a ceremony at Naval Base Coronado on December 14. VRM-30 was established to begin the navy’s transition from the C-2A Greyhound, which has provided logistics support to aircraft carriers for fou
German Navy naval school Mürwik officially accepted delivery of a new nautical training facility from German defense contractor Rheinmetall in a ceremony on December 6. Ordered almost exactly three years ago, the system – known as the “Ausbildungsausstattung Nautische Schiffsführung”, or AANS – will
Thales UK announced it has teamed up with Plymouth-based MSubs Ltd. for research in the field of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The agreement follows the opening of a new UK maritime autonomy center in the south-west of England, in October this year. Thales has invested £1 million in the facil
Royal Australian Navy Collins-class submarine HMAS Rankin returned to her homeport at Fleet Base West after seven months of operations. Arriving just in time for Christmas, the crew were welcomed by friends, family and representatives of the Submarine Force. Rankin’s return to her home port comes af
US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman returned home on December 16, becoming the first US Navy Nimitz-class carrier to complete a deployment under the new dynamic force employment concept. In all, the flattop spent some seven months on operations since first deploying from naval station Norfolk on
