Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has started construction of the second Italian Navy multipurpose offshore patrol ship (PPA). The steel-cutting ceremony took place on October 3 at the shipbuilder’s Riva Trigoso, Genova, shipyard. The unit will be delivered in 2022 and is part of the Italian Navy vess
Ships from 13 nations are taking part in the French-hosted exercise Brilliant Mariner which kicked off September 29. The exercise is attended by Standing NATO Maritime Groups one and two and the Standing Mine Countermeasure Group 2 in addition to the French Aero-Naval Rapid Reaction Force (FRMARFOR)
Warships taking part in the UK-hosted multinational drill Joint Warrior got underway on October 1 for a fortnight of exercises off the coast of Scotland. This is the second time this year the biannual drill is being held. The first one took place in March and featured or incorporated Information War
Sailors from the Royal Netherlands Navy’s landing platform dock HNLMS Rotterdam carried out a local maritime capacity building (LMCB) exercise with Seychelles military personnel. The activity took place on September 25 and 26 and was part of the ship’s regular EU NAVFOR activities. The LMCB focused
Taking part in the submarine escape and rescue exercise Dynamic Monarch for the first time, NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) supported the exercise using a new digital underwater acoustic communications capability providing more effective command and control to escape a
The US-led live-fire integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) exercise Formidable Shield 2017 got underway on Sunday at the UK’s Hebrides Range in the vicinity of the Western Isles of Scotland. More than 14 ships, 10 aircraft, and approximately 3,300 personnel from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, t
The United Kingdom and Royal Navy are set to host 14 nations for a major two-week drill off its coasts next week. Starting on October 1, exercise Joint Warrior will see ships, aircraft and troops carry out maneuvers at military ranges across the country and in maritime exercise areas off the west an
The international, NATO-led, submarine search and rescue exercise Dynamic Monarch 2017 concluded off the coast of Marmaris in southwestern Turkey on Friday. Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States took part in the exercise, which focused on subm
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond assumed command of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The ceremony, in which Diamond relieved sister ship HMS Duncan, took place in Montenegro over the weekend. Duncan was originally to be replaced by helicopter c
Russian Navy cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the world’s only nuclear-powered cruiser, recently performed a test-firing of its Granit anti-ship missile during a mayor Northern Fleet drill. Taking place in the Barents Sea, the training exercise gathered over 20 combat ships, some 10 submarines and up to 30 ai
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montréal arrived in Western Europe on September 18 for three months of exercises with European and NATO partners. Deploying as part of the Royal Canadian Navy’s overarching deployment Neptune Trident 17-02, HMCS Montréal is to take part in the US-led ballistic missil
Over 50 vessels and 20 aircraft were at sea off the coast of Sweden taking part in the international exercise Northern Coasts which started on September 8. NOCO 2017 is an exercise that focuses on increasing the navies’ ability to operate together during war and crisis management situations. The exe
Royal Dutch Navy’s landing platform dock HNLMS Rotterdam joined the EU-led counter piracy operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia on September 13. HNLMS Rotterdam set sail from her homeport Den Helder on August 27. In addition to the Dutch crew, a Swedish boarding team and two Swedish fast attac
British navigation and surveillance company Kelvin Hughes on Thursday announced it has been selected to deliver its navigation equipment for the largest Royal New Zealand Navy ship currently under construction in South Korea. Under a contract awarded by shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, Kelvin H
