Equipment & technology
Russia’s newest ballistic missile sub launches its first Bulava SLBM
The Russian defense ministry has shared video footage of the navy’s newest ballistic missile submarine launching its first Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile. The missile launch took place in the White Sea and was part of the boat’s at-sea trials. The video footage was shared almost exactly
South Korea orders four additional PKX-B patrol boats
South Korea’s defense procurement agency DAPA has awarded Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC) a 246 billion won (approx. $211 million) contract for the construction of an additional four PKX-B patrol boats. The latest contract, will bring the total number of vessels in the class (also refe
Turkish indigenous rail gun “Şahi-209” to be integrated to naval assets
Article by: Dorian Archus The Turkish defense industry is growing day by day. With the confidence of the success in recent years, Turkish engineers are very close to a game-changer technology, Electromagnetic Rail Gun (EMRG). According to the sources in Turkey, Turkish indigenous Rail Gun (launches
Australia’s second AWD completes Cooperative Engagement Capability tests
The Royal Australian Navy’s second air warfare destroyer HMAS Brisbane recently carried out a live missile firing using the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) and remote sensor data from a US Navy destroyer. The missile firing was part of the Australian destroyer’s US East Coast combat systems
USS Gerald R. Ford completes Post-Shakedown Availability
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the first of a new class of US Navy aircraft carriers, completed its Post-Shakedown Availability/Selected Restricted Availability (PSA/SRA), returning to its home port at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on October 30. A PSA is a typical period of construction availabili
Germany starts construction of seventh K130 corvette FGS Emden
Construction works on the second ship of the second batch of German Navy K130 corvettes kicked off with a steel-cutting ceremony at Luerssen’s Bremen shipyard on October 28. In addition to being the second ship of the new batch, the future FGS Emden will be the seventh K130 (Braunschweig-class) corv
Amphibious assault ship Tripoli (LHA 7) passes US Navy trials
The US Navy’s newest America-class amphibious assault ship, future USS Tripoli (LHA 7), has completed acceptance trials. The aviation-centric ship spent three days underway in the Gulf of Mexico during the trials, before returning to the Ingalls Shipbuilding’s shipyard. The Navy’s Board of Inspectio
USS Gerald R. Ford returns to sea after overhaul
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), dubbed the world’s most expensive ship with a price tag of over $13 billion, departed Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) after 15 months of repairs. The ship started trials after undergoing rectification work on a
USS John S. McCain completes repairs, starts at-sea tests
After sustaining significant damage in a collision with a merchant tanker in August 2017, Japan-based US Navy destroyer USS John S. McCain has completed repair and rectification work and is now ready for at-sea trials. The ship was refloated in November 2018 but subsequent tests revealed issues with
Australia’s final Adelaide-class frigate bows out of service
The Royal Australian Navy Adelaide-class guided missile frigate HMAS Melbourne retired in a ceremony at her home port of Garden Island in Sydney after 27 years of service. The 138m-long ship was decommissioned on October 26 as the last remaining of six built for the Australian Navy. Melbourne has st
Littoral combat ship Indianapolis (LCS 17) entering service
The US Navy is set to commission its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Indianapolis (LCS 17), in a ceremony in Burns Harbor, Indiana, on October 26. The future USS Indianapolis, designated LCS 17, honors Indiana’s state capital and largest city. It will be the fourth ship to bear the
UK F-35B tests “beast mode” loadout
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently undergoing extensive F-35B flight trials with the aim of determining the operational limits of both the ship and the fifth-generation stealth jets it is poised to operate. One of the trial evolutions included loading one of the jets with w
France cuts steel for first FTI frigate
French shipbuilder Naval Group has hosted a steel-cutting ceremony for the French Navy’s first Fregate de Taille Intermediaire (FTI) frigate at its Lorient site. The lead ship in the class, to be named after the French sailor and general Pierre-Alexis Ronarc’h, is scheduled to be delivered in 2023.
Teledyne to build more shallow water combat submersibles for USSOCOM
The US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has awarded Teledyne a contract modification for further deliveries of MK11 Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS) systems. The SWCS system is a manned combat submersible vehicle specifically designed to insert and extract special operations forces (SOF) in