European missile developer MBDA signed a contract with the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) for the supply of a coastal defense system to the Middle East country. According to MBDA, the coastal missile system will deploy two different munitions, Marte ER (the Extended Range version of the Marte miss
Just a day after four Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats charged a U.S. Navy destroyer near the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. Navy coastal patrol boat was forced to fire warning shots to fend off fast approaching Iranian vessels in the North Persian Gulf. USS Squall and USS Tempest, both Cyclone-cla
The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) is scheduled to depart Hawaii on August 25 together with the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) for a surface action group deployment to the Arabian Gulf and Western Pacific Ocean. While deployed, Hopper and its crew of more th
The Israel-based defense electronics company Elbit Systems announced August 15 it has developed a new autonomous Mini Unmanned Aircraft System (Mini-UAS) specifically designed and built for martime applications. Based on the already operational Skylark I Mini UAS, the new Skylark C transforms and ex
U.S. Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), with embarked U.S. Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), transited the Suez Canal and entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on August 7. Navigating the 120-mile-long canal is no easy task, requiring hours of
Algerian Navy ship Ezzadjer arrived to Kochi, India for a three-day port visit on August 2. The Algerian corvette is led by Commander Chalabi Ahcene, Commanding Officer, who together with Captain Chouchane Mohamed EI-Mouldi, the ‘mission commander’, called on Rear Admiral RB Pandit, the Chief of Sta
The U.S. Navy has shared a time lapse video of ships getting underway from Pearl Harbor earlier this week for the sea phase of the international Rim of the Pacific exercise 2016. From submarines through destroyers to large aircraft carriers, Naval Station Pearl Harbor tug operators show how it’s don
The U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, together with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8 and some 6,000 sailors overall, returned home on July 13 following an eight-month deployment. Truman pulled into Naval Station Norfolk along with guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) and
American defense contractor Raytheon has been awarded a $291,750,539 contract modification for the AIM-9x Block II program which is an upgrade of the U.S. Navy’s Aim 9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile. The U.S. Navy cleared Raytheon to begin full-rate production on the AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II infra
Israeli defense company Elbit Systems recently completed a trial test torpedo launch from its Seagull multi-mission, autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) system in Israel’s Haifa port. The trial demonstrated the capability of Seagull to install and launch light weight torpedoes, adding to the ca
Italian missile manufacturer MBDA signed a 1 billion euro contract on June 29 to supply the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) with missiles for their new naval vessels to be procured from Fincantieri. Qatar is to acquire a total of seven surface vessels under the 3.9 billion euro contract which follow
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Portland departed naval base Plymouth today on a nine-month deployment Middle East and the Atlantic Ocean with the Combined Maritime Forces. The frigate is also due to take part in multi-national maritime operations with navies from several nations, strengthening the
The Qatari Ministry of Defence has chosen the Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri over the rival French DCNS for its €4 billion euro national naval acquisition program. Fincantieri and the Qatari Ministry of Defence signed the contract for the construction of seven new units overall in Rome, Ital
German Navy corvette ‘Erfurt’ returned to her homeport in Warnemünde, Germany on June 11 after a 17-month deployment. Having a ship spend 17 months deployed without returning home was important for the German Navy as it was able to test the ‘intensive use’ principle for the corvettes where four crew
