The Royal Navy and Air Force welcomed their first F-35B Lightning II fighter jets as they landed at RAF Marham in Norfolk on June 6. The aircraft arrived in the UK following a one-day delay caused by adverse weather conditions over the Atlantic which complicated the necessary aerial refueling proced
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded BAE Systems a $36.6 million contract for the modernization and maintenance work on the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). The Cole will undergo one year of extensive work at the company’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia,the ship’s homeport. The con
The Finnish defense ministry has awarded Kongsberg Maritime a contract to deliver its ST2400 variable depth sonar (VDS) for the Hamina-class missile boats. The contract was awarded to Kongsberg as part of the Squadron 2000 mid-life upgrade (MLU) program which will extend the missile boats’ service l
BAE Systems has received a contract to produce payload tubes for two of the US Navy’s new Virginia-class submarines to support increased firepower on the Block V version of the attack subs. Under the contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat, a builder of the Virginia class, BAE Systems will deli
French and UK defense contractors Thales and BAE Systems have teamed up with Canadian consulting company CGI for the second phase of the Royal Navy’s Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme (MEWP). MEWP is a UK defense ministry procurement program that aims to provide upgraded electronic warfare capab
The Kongsberg-developed Naval Strike Missile is the weapon of choice for the US Navy’s littoral combat ship over-the-horizon (OTH) missile, a Pentagon contract has unsurprisingly revealed. According to a May 31 defense department announcement, US defense contractor Raytheon has been awarded a $14.8
A Babcock-led industry team has officially unveiled the Arrowhead 140 concept as their design for the UK defense ministry’s Type 31e general purpose light frigate program. Babcock, Thales, OMT, BMT, Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine are all part of the team bidding for the UK MoD’s £1.25 billion
The Royal Navy has taken delivery of the first upgraded Commando Merlin Mk4 which has been designed for Royal Marine aircraft carrier operations. The helicopters are being upgraded to a faster and more powerful aircraft than their predecessors. With a new maritime grey coat, a folding main rotor and
US president Donald Trump awarded retired Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Britt Slabinski with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony held May 24. Slabinski was awarded for his actions while leading a team under heavy effective enemy fire in an attempt to rescue teammate Petty Officer First
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile-destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) arrived at US Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka to join the forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) in Japan. The arrival of Milius to the 7th Fleet on Tuesday, May 22, adds another upgraded Aegis Baseline 9 destroyer to the wa
Spain’s Navantia S.A. transferred the intellectual property for the Hobart-class family of warships to Navantia Australia, giving Australia sovereign control over its air warfare destroyer (AWD) capability. Navantia S.A. chairman José Esteban Garcia Vilasanchez formally transferred the intellectual
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Alpino (F594) has arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, for the first stop of her North American tour. The tour will help Fincantieri, and the Italian industry, showcase the FREMM frigate design Fincantieri is offering for the US Navy’s next frigate, dubbed FFG(X). Alpin
Navantia Australia and BAE Systems have signed a contract for the maintenance of Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class air warfare destroyers. According to Navantia, the agreement for “platform system design and engineering assurance services” was signed at the Garden Island Naval Base on Tuesday, 15 M
Naval Group Australia on May 18 announced that its board of directors appointed John Davis as the chief executive officer (CEO) and Future Submarine program director. According to Naval Group, the appointment will become effective 1 July 2018. John Davis will be in charge of the delivering a fleet o
