The Croatian Navy has sent the first contingent of troops to participate in the NATO maritime security operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean Sea. A ceremony for the navy’s warship, RTOP-41 Vukovar, and her crew of 50, was held in Split on September 3, Croatian defense ministry said in a statem
The German Navy is sending its Frankenthal-class minehunter Homburg (M 1069) to participate in the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1). On Tuesday, September 4, the ship is scheduled to depart its Kiel homeport. Homburg, which belongs to the navy’s 3rd Minesweeping Squadron, will
Numerous naval and coast guard assets participated in Helcom Balex Delta 2018, a major Baltic operational exercise in oil spill response. Coordinated by the Swedish Coast Guard and backed by the EU, the exercise took place in the waters of Karlskrona from August 27 to 31, 2018. Balex Delta is an ann
Russia has reportedly amassed a large task group in Syrian waters as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad mulls an assault on rebel positions in the northern Idlib province. With over ten warships deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, this is Russia’s largest naval buildup since the country stated supporti
Spanish Navy’s F-100 frigate Cristóbal Colón got underway from her homeport in Ferrol on August 25 to join NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea. The Aegis-equipped frigate will first contribute to the maritime situational awareness picture and counter-terrorism operations in the
US Navy’s forward-deployed destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) exited the Black Sea, August 27, after 15 days of maritime security operations and theater security engagements. USS Carney was in the Black Sea at the same time as USNS Carson City (T-EPF 7), which became the first Spearhead-class expeditiona
German Navy frigate FGS Bayern is set to return to her Wilhelmshaven homeport on Saturday after four months of operations in the Aegean Sea. In total, the ship spent over five months underway as part of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), sailing 27,500 nautical miles. Bayern is returning to W
NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1) met up with a Japan Maritime Self Defense Force training squadron in the Baltic Sea on August 21 for a passing exercise. The JMSDF task group is composed of cadet training vessel JS Kashima and the destroyer JS Makinami. Japan is one of a number of countrie
Italian defense and aerospace contractor Leonardo announced that its $3.7 billion contract to deliver 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters to Qatar has been finalized. While initially signed on March 14, 2018, the contract for 16 NH90s in tactical transport (TTH) configuration a
US Navy explosive ordnance disposal specialists joined forces with maritime forces from the Republic of Croatia for an experimental mine countermeasures (MCM) operation in Croatian waters on August 17. In a combined partnership between US Sixth Fleet, the US Office of Naval Research, and Croatian Na
UK shipbuilder Cammell Laird announced it has built a network of more than 2,000 suppliers that will be involved in the construction of the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigate should the Cammell Laird-BAE Systems duo be selected. The shipyard and engineering services company says it is registering m
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is boosting its logistic support capabilities with the acquisition of automation, command and control systems specialist Vitrociset. Fincantieri announced August 7 that it signed an agreement with commercial high-tech company Mer Mec for the joint and equally split ac
German Navy’s frigate Lübeck will soon become part of the NATO’s Standing Nato Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Aegean Sea, the navy said. The Bremen-class frigate will depart her homeport of Wilhelmshaven on August 6, 2018, in order to join the group. Lübeck has been preparing for this deployment si
Denmark’s defense department has received the final two of overall nine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters delivered by Sikorsky Aircraft under a $686 million contract. The aircraft arrived at the Royal Danish Air Force base Karup on August 1 aboard an American C17 aircraft. MH-60R Seahawks will be flown by
