The Belgian government on Friday, January 26, decided to give the department of defense its green light for the acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels. The order will be placed jointly with the Netherlands Navy which will acquire an identical number of MCM ships. In addition to mine coun
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin Aculight Corp. a $150 million contract for work on the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System, previously known as the Seasaber. The contract will see Lockheed Martin develop, manufacture, and deliver two High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical
The Canadian government has awarded Raytheon Canada a CAD$704 million contract for the upkeep and upgrades of close-in weapon systems (CIWS) aboard Royal Canadian Navy ships. The in-service support contract will be valid until late 2037, and comprises an initial 10-year service period with three opt
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) earlier this month to start preparations for her 27-month refueling overhaul, the US Navy announced. In a first for NNSY, Enlisted Women at Sea ship alterations will be performed onboard, modifying
The Australian federal government has unveiled a new defense export strategy aimed at turning Australia into a major defense exporter. The document, unveiled by defense industry minister Christopher Pyne on Monday, sets out the policy and strategy to make Australia one of the top ten global defense
The US Navy announced it is starting a mission to survey the downed C-2A Greyhound aircraft that crashed into the Philippine Sea en route to aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on November 22. The navy will carry out the mission with help from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s research vessel R/V Pet
The US Navy has carried out another Harpoon Block II+ missile test at the Point Mugu Sea Test Range on January 22. The latest test demonstrated the missile’s ability to talk with the newest F/A-18’s software upgrade as the interface becomes operational on the F/A-18 Super Hornet system. The upgrade,
Looking for new technologies to improve the operation of unmanned underwater vehicles, the Royal Navy used the Maritime Enterprise Innovation Scotland Conference (MEISC) to set challenges for developers. During the conference, held at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on January 24, two speci
The US Naval Surface Warfare Center has awarded engineering and IT company Engineering Services Network a $39.5 million contract for deliveries of combat system sequencing systems. Under the contract, ESN will be responsible for development, modification, validation and delivery of Combat Systems Op
HMS Forth, the first of five second-batch River-class offshore patrol vessels to be built for the Royal Navy, was officially received by the UK defense ministry on Thursday. Forth will be commissioned into the Royal Navy fleet at her home port of Portsmouth Naval Base later this year. UK defense pro
The US Navy has awarded Orbital ATK a $9.5 million contract to start design work on the new and improved Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile used by the US Navy and Marine Corps to defeat enemy air defense installations. The new missile will also fit inside the internal weapons bay of the F-35. T
The Australian defense ministry has awarded Lockheed Martin a AU$700 million contract to design, build and integrate a combat system for the Royal Australian Navy’s future submarines. Announcing the contract on January 25, Australian defense industry minister Christopher Pyne said the contract with
US Navy’s Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) is scheduled to arrive at its new homeport in Pearl Harbor this week, joining five sister boats already stationed on Hawaii. In addition to becoming the sixth Virginia-class submarine at Pearl Harbor, Missouri will also join anoth
Sailors assigned to the recently commissioned Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will be using a new type of personnel transfer boats with improved maneuvering characteristics. As the new workboats are powered by two water-jets, unlike the current fleet of small boats operated by the Ro
