HNLMS Karel Doorman, the Royal Netherlands Navy’s multi-purpose amphibious ship, got underway from its Den Helder homeport on April 4 to join the NATO-led operation Sea Guardian. Karel Doorman will spend the next nine weeks patrolling the Mediterranean Sea monitoring patterns-of-life to detect suspi
The annual NATO-led mine countermeasure exercise Dynamic Move concluded at Ecole de Guerre des Mines (EGUERMIN), the Belgium-Netherlands Naval Mine Warfare School, on March 29. Mine warfare specialists from 16 allied nations and four NATO partners took part in two weeks of drills aimed at improving
US Navy ships USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) concluded their Pacific Partnership 2018 engagements in the Federated States of Micronesia and are now en route to their next mission stops in Indonesia and Palau. Expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) departed Yap,
Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigate HMAS Parramatta has taken part in a refueling trial at the Gore Bay facility in Sydney Harbour, one of Australia’s oldest fuel import and storage facilities. As informed, the event marked the first time since 1901 that a warship, other than navy tankers HMA Ships
The UK is to receive its new world-class nuclear submarines on time after the country’s government announced additional funds for defense. Specifically, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will benefit from an extra GBP 800 million in the next financial year, the Chancellor and Defence Secretary have conf
The Royal Netherlands Navy, with over EUR6 billion in funds set aside for its acquisition and maintenance programs, is the major winner of the Netherlands defense ministry’s 2018 white paper. Army and air force follow with little over two and one billion euros, respectively, while 1.7 billion is to
US Navy ships from Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 1 started integration drills with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in preparation for an upcoming deployment. PHIBRON 1 is comprised of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock s
German Navy combat support ship EGV Frankfurt am Main has wrapped up its deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 and is now en route to its homeport. Frankfurt am Main is scheduled to enter Wilhelmshaven on March 29 after spending five and a half months underway. The ship deployed to SNMG2 in
A German P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) and its crew have returned to Djibouti to rejoin the fight against piracy as part of the EU NAVFOR-led operation Atalanta. The P-3C, its crew and supporting staff deployed to the Horn of Africa area of operations on March 23 to w
US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) completed fleet carrier qualifications (CQ) for the F-35C Lightning II program over a five-day period in the Atlantic Ocean. The US Navy said the milestone was achieved while the carrier was underway between March 17-21. Pilots ass
Obangame Express, an exercise sponsored by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and designed to improve regional cooperation, kicked off on March 21 with an opening ceremony in Libreville, Gabon. The annual exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), information-sharing practices, and tactical
UK-based engineering consultancy BMT and Turkey’s ARES Shipyard have received a new order from the Qatari Coast Guard which includes an additional nine vessels. The order was officially signed during Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) last week. The new order cove
Royal Canadian Navy’s Victoria-class submarine HMCS Chicoutimi returned to her homeport in Esquimalt March 21 after a 197-day deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. Her deployment was a historic one in that it marked the first time in nearly 50 years that a Canadian submarine operated in the region.
The UK defense ministry has awarded a £160 million (approx. $226.5m) contract to a BAE Systems-led team to resolve the power and propulsion system issues experienced by Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers. The Power Improvement Project (PIP) will improve the resilience of the Type 45 class by installing
