Equipment & technology
Navantia lays keel for first Saudi Navy Avante corvette
A keel-laying ceremony held in Cadiz, Spain, has marked the start of assembly works on the Royal Saudi Navy’s first Avante 2200 corvette. The ships are built by SAMI Navantia Naval Industries (SAMINavantia), a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and Navantia S.A. The keel-
Royal Thai Navy commissions second Krabi-class OPV
The Royal Thai Navy commissioned its second Krabi-class offshore patrol vessel in a ceremony in Sattahip, Chonburi, on September 27. HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan (hull number 552) was commissioned less than a month after it was launched in early August by Thailand’s Bangkok Dock. Built under a licensing
Former Perry frigate USS Ford sunk in live-fire exercise off Guam
Ex-USS Ford (FFG 54), one of the few Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates still around, was sunk by live fire from ships and aircraft taking part in exercise Pacific Griffin 2019. The decommissioned ship was sunk on October 1, approximately 170 nautical miles off the coast of Guam. Units from the US a
US Navy’s Ghost Fleet Overlord unmanned vessel program enters next phase
The US Navy’s office for unmanned and small combatants has started the next phase of the Ghost Fleet Overlord program which is designed to help the navy better decide which unmanned assets to acquire. As disclosed, the Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) announced Octobe
USS Gabrielle Giffords first LCS to perform integrated NSM firing
USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) recently became the first US Navy littoral combat ship to launch the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) in an integrated setup. Gabrielle Giffords’ launch of the NSM is different from the one performed by USS Coronado in 2014 in that the missile system aboard LCS 10 is couple
USS George Washington undocks during nuclear refueling overhaul
The US Navy’s sixth Nimmitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is back in the water after Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division completed the dry dock portion of the ship’s refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). More than 100 million gallons of water wa
Portugal hosts maritime unmanned systems experimentation drill
The international unmanned maritime systems experimentation exercise hosted by the Portuguese Navy concluded in waters near Lisbon, Portugal, on September 27. Named Recognized Environmental Picture augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems REP (MUS), the exercise was attended by US, European Navy and N
Turkey commissions final Ada-class corvette Kinaliada
A steel-cutting ceremony for the first MILGEM ship for the Pakistan Navy was held on the same day.
India commissions second Scorpene sub, launches first Project 17A frigate
A new aircraft carrier dry dock at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, was also inaugurated.
Australia receives newest P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane
Australia has taken delivery of its newest maritime surveillance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, at a ceremony in Seattle, USA. The aircraft is now undergoing its verification and validation flying in the United States, and will join the rest of the fleet in Australia, based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in S
Northrop to build 9 more E-2D Hawkeyes for Japan
US defense contractor Northrop Grumman Systems will build another nine E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft for the government of Japan. The company was awarded a $1.36 billion contract modification by the US Naval Air Systems Command for the work. This contract aw
Canadian Navy tests towed reelable active passive sonar
The Royal Canadian Navy has completed performance trials of the GeoSpectrum Technologies-developed towed reelable active passive sonar (TRAPS) on board the HMCS Glace Bay. The tests aboard the Kingston-class vessel were the final assessment of the system, according to the company. GeoSpectrum reveal
US Navy launches first East Coast Coyote supersonic sea skimming target
The US Navy recently launched its first GQM-163A Coyote supersonic sea skimming target (SSST) from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). The Navy’s aerial targets program office (PMA-208) worked with multiple stakeholders to launch two GQM-163A targets, completing the WFF site activation for an East
Japan in charge of trilateral naval drill Malabar for first time
Malabar is a long-standing exercise between Japan, India and the US.