Equipment & technology
U.S. Navy destroyers reunite in South China Sea
Participating ships of a U.S. 3rd Fleet Pacific Surface Action Group (PAC SAG) reunited while on routine patrol increasing U.S. Navy presence in the South China Sea ahead of the international ruling on the South China Sea dispute. The ships met on June 27 after conducting nearly three months of thea
USS Chung-Hoon to return from Western Pacific deployment
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) is scheduled to return to Hawaii from a five-month deployment to the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) on June 28. During the deployment, Chung-Hoon made port visits to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines, and participated in numero
Pakistan picks STM over DCNS for Agosta submarine modernization
Despite of the fact that the Pakistan Navy’s Agosta 90B submarines were designed and built by French DCNS, Pakistan has chosen Turkey’s STM to carry out modernization of three of the submarines. The contract between Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production and STM was signed on June 22, 2016 in Raw
US Navy destroyer patrols South China Sea
USS Spruance, a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is currently patrolling the South China Sea as part of a Pacific Surface Action Group (PAC SAG) deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific. “Spruance is currently operating in the South China Sea in support of maritime security and sta
China denies spying US Navy carrier in Japanese waters
Responding to reports of a Chinese spy ship entering Japanese waters while spying on U.S. Navy aircraft carrier John C. Stennis (CVN-74), China’s Ministry of National Defense released a statement saying the Chinese warship conducted “normal navigation and training in relevant waters of the Western P
U.S., Thailand kick off CARAT in Sattahip
U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Thai Armed Forces are set to begin the 22nd annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise on June 16 with opening ceremonies at the Royal Thai Naval Base in Sattahip. CARAT Thailand 2016 will consist of eight days of shore-based and at-s
US, India and Japan kick off Malabar 2016
Naval ships, aircraft and personnel from India, Japan and the United States started the annual exercise Malabar 2016, June 9 in Sasebo, Japan. The harbour phase will be taking place in Sasebo until June 13 and the sea phase will have participants conducting drills in the Philippine Sea from June 14
Royal Australian Navy, Japanese officials mark sinking of HMAS Kuttabul
Royal Australian Navy and Japanese Consulate representatives attended a commemorative service at Garden Island, Sydney, to mark the 74th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Kuttabul. The accommodation ferry was struck by a midget submarine torpedo. Past president of the Naval Historical Society of Au
South Korea launches first FF-II frigate
South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has launched the nation’s first FF-II guided-missile frigate at its Geoje shipyard. The ship was named Daegu and received pennant number 818 during a ceremony held June 2. Displacing 2800 tonnes, the new frigate measures 122
Raytheon lands $365M US Navy contract for AN/SPY-1D(V) Radar
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon a $365,85 million contract for the production of Aegis Weapon System AN/SPY-1D(V) Radar Transmitter Group, Missile Fire Control System MK 99 equipment, and associated engineering services. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulati
China to send five ships to US-hosted RIMPAC 2016
The Chinese Navy will take part in the U.S.-hosted multinational maritime exercise RIMPAC 2016, despite mounting tensions between the two countries amid the South China Sea dispute. One missile destroyer, a missile frigate, a supply ship, a hospital ship and a submarine rescue vessel augmented by tw
US destroyers visit Japan after drills with Korean Navy
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Momsen (DDG 92) arrived in Sasebo, Japan for a regularly scheduled port visit, June 2-4. The two ships recently concluded a series of evolutions with the Republic of Korea Navy in the waters around the Korean Peninsula, in late May.
Old map collections shed new light on South China Sea dispute
Maps discovered at Yale University are posing a new challenge to China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries the maps show that neither Spratly nor Paracel islands, both claimed by Vietnam, belonged to China, Vietnamese Tuoi Tree News reported on Sun
CARAT 2016 gets underway in Malaysia
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have kicked off the Malaysia phase of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series between the U.S. and the armed forces of nine ASEAN member-countries. CARAT is a series of bilateral naval exercises between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Co