The Mexican Navy floated out the SIGMA design-based long-range off-shore patrol vessel (Patrulla Oceánica de Largo Alcance – POLA) in a ceremony in Oaxaca on November 23. The launch ceremony of ARM Reformador – as the vessel is named – coincided with Mexican Navy Day. The 107-meter ship was floated
BAE Systems Australia, the main contractor in the Royal Australian Navy’s Hunter-class frigate acquisition project, announced that it has selected Lockheed Martin Australia and Saab Australia for combat system integration on the frigates. The decision further supports the development of an Australia
Royal Navy’s submarine-hunting Merlin helicopters recently left the flight deck of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth for three weeks of exercises at the US Navy’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). The ranges off Andros Island – south-west of Nassau – are centered on a natural
The Philippine Navy has carried out a test firing of the recently-integrated Spike-extended range (ER) surface-to-surface missile system which it received from Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in April this year. The November firing follows an acceptance test on August 9 off the peninsula of
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) got underway from its forward-deployed homeport of Naval Station Rota, Spain, On November 19 to start its eighth patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. Donald Cook deployed two days after sister ship USS Carney (
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) returned to its homeport of Naval Station Everett, Wash., November 21. While on deployment Shoup supported the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) and participated in exercise Valiant Shield 2018. OMSI is a secretary of defense initiative
A US Navy carrier strike group centered around the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrived in Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit on November 21. The arrival of Ronald Reagan to Hong Kong follows China’s refusal to allow amphibious assault ship USS Wasp to visit the city in September th
The Russian Navy’s second Project 22350 frigate Admiral Kasatonov is ready to start builder’s trials in December this year, Saint Petersburg-based shipbuilder Severnaya Verf has announced. Shipyard workers and the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate’s crew are completing final preparations for the ship’s
Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion has completed the final port call of a ten-month deployment to Asia-Pacific. Albion departed Gibraltar on November 20 and is expected to arrive at its Plymouth homeport on Friday. After a number of stops in the Asia-Pacific region and Middle East – Indon
The US State Department has approved a possible sale of eight Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B missiles and thirteen SM-3 Block 2A missiles to Japan for an estimated cost of $561 million. In an announcement on November 19, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the contract also included
Article by: Peter Ong The United States Coast Guard’s only heavy operational Polar-class icebreaker, Polar Star, completed its annual scheduled refit at Mare Island, Vallejo, California, in a maintenance period riddled with challenges. The forty-two year old ship returned from Operation Deep Freeze
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded VT Halter Marine a $9 million contract for further design engineering, procurement of long-lead time material and limited advanced production of the Oceanographic Survey Ship (T-AGS 67). The T-AGS 67 will be a follow-on ship to the T-AGS 60-class program
The launch of a US Navy nanosatellite designed to extend the range of ultra-high frequency (UHF) communications into the polar regions was delayed, SpaceX has confirmed. The launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., was scheduled for November 19 and was also significant for SpaceX as one of its
Two days after leaving her construction site in Maine, US Navy’s stealth destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) met with Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) for a photo exercise in the Atlantic Ocean. Joining the two on November 11 were Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer US
