US Military Sealift Command operated ships USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) met with the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver while underway in Asia Pacific, on May 15. While it was not stated, the exercise likely took place in the South China Sea as hospital ship USNS Mercy d
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $23.1 million contract for follow-on production of enhanced laser guided training rounds (ELGTRs) to support the service’s Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) weapons training. The award exercises the initial option of the contract negotiated in 2017 and exte
The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will be adding solar technology to its Hybrid Tiger unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as it seeks to achieve a flight duration of over three days for the system. NRL has awarded Alta Devices a contract to deliver its light-weight solar technology for the UAV. Alta
US shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the US Navy’s future Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) on May 14. Irene Hirano Inouye, the ship’s sponsor and wife of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, was in attendance to authe
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) arrived in Poti, Georgia, on May 14 after concluding their participation in the Romanian-hosted Black Sea exercise Sea Shield 2018. During the four-day port call to Poti, the ships’ crews will join Georgian Border Police for drills aimed at incre
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on May 14, concluding a seven-month deployment with the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group (TRCSG). Halsey departed Pearl Harbor October 16 to deploy to the US 5th and 7th Fleet
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga and her combined engineering support team (WCEST) have recently completed a scheduled maintenance period in Bahrain. It is only the second time an engineering support team has been deployed to the Middle East region and follows the success of last year’s
The UK defense secretary is set to announce a £2.5bn investment for new Royal Navy submarines during his visit to BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria on Monday. According to the UK defense ministry, the investment includes £1.5bn for the construction of the seventh Astute-class sub
As part of the mission to ensure maritime security in the Gulf of Aden, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have conducted a large-scale Focused Operation in conjunction with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR). The operation, known as Three Arrows, started on May 1, 2018, with warships from Japan, Spain
After arriving from France to US early April, French Rafale jets have now joined the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) for a combined Chesapeake 2018 exercise. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) and French Carrier Air Wing (Groupe Aerien Embarque) departed Norfolk May 7
US Navy ships from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3 have completed a group sail maneuver, working together for the first time in over two years. Led by aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), the CSG included Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) and ships from Destroyer
Maritime engineering consultancy BMT Australia opened a new office in Adelaide, South Australia, in a ceremony on May 14. The ceremony was attended by Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne who formally opened the company office. Minister Pyne welcomed the company’s expansion to Adela
Raytheon Missile Systems has received a $242 million contract to deliver the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2 system for the Qatari Emiri Navy. The contract, announced by the US defense department May 10, was awarded to the company by the US Naval Sea Systems Command and includes foreign milit
Australian shipbuilder Austal will not be taking part in the construction of 12 offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Australian Navy, according to a May 11 statement from Luerssen – the prime contractor on the project. The announcement follows months of negotiations between the two sides. In Novemb
