Equipment & technology
USS Michael Murphy visits PNG ahead of APEC 2018
The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) arrived in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on October 6. As the first US Navy ship to visit Port Moresby since USS Comstock (LSD 45) in 2017, Michael Murphy arrives as the nation prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperatio
South Africa hosts sixth edition of three-nation IBSAMAR drill
The annual IBSAMAR maritime exercise organized between the navies of Brazil, India and South Africa kicked off at Simons Town, South Africa, on October 1. The two-week exercise changes hosts every year, with the previous edition taking place in India. The exercise is designed to build interoperabili
South Korea launches its first KSS-III submarine
South Korea’s first 3,000-ton submarine was launched today at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) Okpo Shipyard. Named Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (KSS-III), the newbuilding is the first mid-class submarine designed and built independently in Korea, the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Admin
Indonesian Navy fast missile boat sinks off Sorong
Indonesian Navy’s fast missile boat KRI Rencong (622) sank on Tuesday after catching fire off Sorong, West Papua. The incident occurred while the vessel was patrolling in the waters some 20 miles from the Naval Command III in Sorong, The Jakarta Post reported. The video shared by Indonesian televisi
Royal Navy ship sails near disputed islands in South China Sea
Last month, Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China in a freedom of navigation operation. The ship passed close to the Paracel Islands, which are controlled by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, on August 31. This was in line with inte
US, Japanese navies conduct bilateral training in South China Sea
The US Ronald Reagan Strike Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Escort Flotilla 4 Battle Group, participated in bilateral training on August 31 while underway in the South China Sea. During the training, units from the two maritime forces sailed in formation, participated in replenishment-a
India clears purchase of 24 ASW helicopters
India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of 24 new anti-submarine warfare capable, multi-role helicopters (MRHs) for the Indian Navy. According to earlier reports, the helicopters in question are Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, which are expected
Indian Navy’s first SLBM declared operational
The Indian Navy has reportedly joined the nuclear triad club after operationalizing its first submarine-launched ballistic missile and testing it earlier this month. According to The New Indian Express, which cited an unnamed defense official, the ‘Sagarika’ SLBM (referred to as B-05 in the report)
CARAT 2018 kicks off in Indonesia
Naval forces from the US and Indonesia have commenced the 24th Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise. The exercise began with the arrival of the dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) with elements from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Jakarta on August 10. As informed, th
Report: Japan to send JS Kaga to South China Sea, Indian Ocean mission
Japan is likely to send its Izumo-class helicopter carrier to the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean this year as well. The two-month deployment of the 27,000-ton JS Kaga comes as Japan aims to boost its presence in this strategically important region, Reuters reported citing two unnamed Japanese
Pakistan orders two more Type 054 frigates from China
The Pakistan Navy has signed a contract with M/s China Shipbuilding Trading Company Ltd (CSTC) for the delivery of an additional two Type 054A frigates. The contract was signed at the Ministry of Defence Production in Rawalpindi with deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations), Rear Admiral Faisal Rasu
Construction starts on 1st of Philippine Navy’s new frigates
South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has started construction of the first of two 2,600-ton frigates ordered by the Philippine Navy. The steel-cutting ceremony for the frigate was held in Ulsan, South Korea, on May 1, 2018. As informed, each of the new frigates will feature a leng
Republic of Korea Navy equips frigate with SEASNavy ECS
SEASNavy engineering control system (ECS) has been delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy’s (RoKN) first of eight Daegu-class frigates (FFX-II), Fincantieri said. The ECS — a suite of software subsystems for the integrated platform management — has been delivered by Seastema, a Fincantieri company
Singapore developing collision prevention AI tech
Fujitsu Limited, Singapore Management University (SMU), and A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) have partnered up to develop new technologies for vessel traffic management in the Port of Singapore. The project will be supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA