Capital Investments
Babcock becomes Royal Navy system support partner under £360m deal
UK defense contractor Babcock has been selected to become marine systems support partner (MSSP) for the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class (QEC) aircraft carriers and Type 45 destroyers. The company said it was selected as preferred bidder for all four elements of a Ministry of Defence program t
First Tide-class tanker reaches UK waters
RFA Tidespring, the lead ship of the new Tide-class tankers built for Great Britain by the South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, arrived in the UK on April 2. Tidespring started her journey from South Korea in February after being officially accepted by the UK Ministry o
BAE Systems gets UK F-35B maintenance contract
The U.S. Department of Defense last week awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than £80m (US$102.2m) to deliver the initial training, engineering, maintenance and logistics support for the UK’s F-35 Lightning II fleet over a three year period. Lockheed Martin has sub-contracted work worth £4
Saab contracted for work on new Swedish anti-ship missile system
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has contracted Saab for the development and production of the country’s next generation anti-ship missile system. According to the company, the total order value amounts to SEK3.2 billion (approx. US$358M) and deliveries will take place during the period
Greece kicks off annual international drill Ariadne 2017
Warships from eight nations arrived in Greece for the annual exercise Ariadne which will be taking place from March 31 to April 7. In addition to ships, naval officers from some ten countries will be attending the exercise in the Ionian Sea in the Gulf of Patras. NATO ships from the Standing Mine Co
Australia issues Request for Tender for Future Frigates
The Australian government on Friday released the Request for Tender (RFT) for the Royal Australian Navy’s $35 billion Future Frigate project. The RFT was issued to the three shortlisted designers: British BAE Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri and Spain’s Navantia. Minister for Defence Industry, Christoph
Norway signs contract for five P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft
Norway’s plans to replace its ageing fleet of P-3 Orion and DA-20 Jet Falcon maritime patrol aircraft became official on Wednesday with the signing of a contract for the acquisition of the Boeing built P-8A. The contract for five aircraft was signed by the Norwegian defense equipment agency, on beha
Gallery: ESPS Galicia’s Scan Eagle UAV helps track pirates
Photos: EUNAVFOR Spanish Navy’s counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa are enhanced by the presence of an unmanned aerial vehicle which helps prevent, or respond timely to potential attacks. A crew from Spain’s 11th Squadron, which is usually based in Cadiz, is currently deployed with Operati
BAE Systems introduces F35B simulator for Royal Navy carriers
A new flight simulator for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft is now ready to help prepare pilots to take the real aircraft on flight trials on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth next year. The simulator will test pilots’ skills to the limits as they practise landing on the deck
Reports: HMS Ocean offered for sale to Brazilian Navy
The UK Ministry of Defence has offered amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean for sale to the Brazilian Navy, the media in the South American country wrote. The UK Defence Journal first noted the reports which said the price of the helicopter carrier was deemed “reasonable” by Brazilian officials. Follow
Former Royal Navy chief joins Liquid Robotics’ advisory board
The former First Sea Lord of the British Royal Navy, retired Admiral Sir George Zambelas, will be joining Liquid Robotics’ global strategic advisory board, the company announced on Wednesday. “As a member of this distinguished board of advisors, Sir George will bring his vast military and maritime d
Operation Atalanta flagship trains for medical emergencies off Somalia
The medical team on board the Spanish Navy landing platform dock ESPS Galicia, Operation Atalanta’s current flagship, recently carried out a helicopter casualty evacuation exercise as part of medical emergency readiness training. Sailors regularly conduct medical exercises at sea to ensure they rema
US Navy cruiser deploys to Europe, Middle East
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 60 departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 27 for a six-month deployment to the Navy’s 5th and 6th fleet areas of operation. The Leyte Gulf crew went through a demanding training cycle in preparat
Qinetiq supports Royal Navy’s inaugural Information Warrior exercise
UK defense company QinetiQ is helping the Royal Navy host the first Information Warrior (IW17) exercise, which aims to drive the future development of cutting edge warfare capabilities. Taking place between 27 March and 7 April, the exercise will be hosted at Royal Marine Barracks Stonehouse, Plymou