Bollinger Shipyards delivered the 35th fast response cutter (FRC), Angela McShan, to the US Coast Guard in Key West, Florida, on August 1. The cutter will be the third of three FRCs stationed in Cape May, New Jersey. Angela McShan, the cutter’s namesake, was the first African-American woman to be pr
UK defense technology company BAE Systems has completed “one-of-a-kind” trials of the autonomous Pacific 950 rigid inflatable boat (RIB) demonstrator. The company now says that the autonomous technology will allow navies to go beyond the limits of human endurance with unmanned vessels that can trave
The US Navy has confirmed the choice of Lockheed Martin as the combat system ship integration & test agent for its future guided missile frigate (FFG(X)) ship program. In May this year, Lockheed decided to withdraw from the race for the construction of future frigates, adding that it would provide c
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) has returned to the US after spending 14 years forward-deployed to Japan as part of the US 7th Fleet. The destroyer arrived at its new homeport of Naval Base San Diego on July 18. Stethem traded Fleet Activities Yokosuka with San Diego as its n
The latest round of tests carried out on US Navy destroyer USS John S. McCain after it was repaired following a deadly 2017 collision have revealed further issues postponing the ship’s return to the fleet. The Japan-based ship was expected to complete all repairs from the collision with a merchant v
The UK’s first Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) maritime patrol aircraft has completed its first flight, marking another milestone ahead of delivery in early 2020. Following this first test flight, the aircraft will transfer from Boeing Commercial Airplanes to Boeing Defense, Space and Security to be fitted
The Chilean Navy has awarded French defense contractor ECA Group a contract to upgrade the steering consoles of Scorpène-class submarines. The contract is part of the country’s wider submarines modernization program which will also see two Type-209 boats receive some features of the Scorpene-class s
An Adelaide-based composite materials developer has become the latest Type 26 global combat ship supplier, the Australian defense minister announced during a visit to BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Scotland. Linda Reynolds, the Australian defense minister visited Govan to witness the build progress
MQ-8C Fire Scout, the US Navy’s new unmanned helicopter, has reached initial operational capability (IOC) after some six years of flight trials. The navy declared IOC on June 28, after the MQ-8C clocked in over 1,500 flight hours with more than 700 sorties. The sea-based, vertical lift unmanned syst
UK’s Royal Marines have tested their ability to take out airborne targets with a new laser-guided missile system on the ranges in south Wales. Air Defence Troop of Plymouth-based 30 Commando IX Group is the first sub unit to use the fresh-out-the-packet Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) system. Th
India’s Ministry of Defence has issued four shipbuilding requests for proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of various ships and craft for the country’s navy and coast guard. As informed, the RFPs amount to INR 150 billion (around USD 2.2 billion) and are part of the Indian government’s defence moderni
The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) returned to the US 3rd Fleet area of operations on June 30, following 14 years of forward-deployed service in the Indo-Pacific region operating from Japan. The destroyer is en route to San Diego, where she will be homepo
The US Navy has selected BAE Systems to provide engineering and integration support for critical communications and combat systems. BAE Systems has been awarded a five-year, $90 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to modernize and maintain C5ISR systems embedded within vehicles,
An updated estimate of the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program indicates that the Canadian government is poised to pay C$8 billion more than initially expected to acquire a fleet of 15 new frigates. According to the government’s new budget officer report, the total cost of the CSC program is C$
