MQ-8C Fire Scout, the US Navy’s new unmanned helicopter, has reached initial operational capability (IOC) after some six years of flight trials. The navy declared IOC on June 28, after the MQ-8C clocked in over 1,500 flight hours with more than 700 sorties. The sea-based, vertical lift unmanned syst
The MoD has earmarked £130m for three Directed Energy Weapons demonstrators.
US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy returned to its Norfolk homeport on July 6, less than a day after getting underway for exercises with the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. The cruiser was forced to break off from the drills due to what navy officials said were maintenance issues
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has carried out the first test of its two Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS), engaging both air and surface targets. The trial took place on July 7, as the ship is in the final stages of preparations for a departure to the US coast where it will wr
Ships and submarines from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) are taking part in the anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose in the Norwegian Sea and across the Article Circle. The group shifted into the new area of operations from the Baltic Sea where it completed its participation in
The UK Ministry of Defence has signed an £85 million contract with engineering company Rolls-Royce to maintain the engines of the Royal Navy’s Type-23 frigate fleet. The contract includes a comprehensive support package to Spey gas turbines, including the overhaul of engines, provision of spares, as
UK’s Royal Marines have tested their ability to take out airborne targets with a new laser-guided missile system on the ranges in south Wales. Air Defence Troop of Plymouth-based 30 Commando IX Group is the first sub unit to use the fresh-out-the-packet Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) system. Th
The US Navy’s Ronald Reagan Strike Group has arrived in Brisbane, Australia, for a regularly scheduled port visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) pulled into Brisbane July 5, while the Arleigh Burke Class
The Romanian authorities have selected French Naval Group and its Romanian partner Santierul Naval Constanta (SNC) for the program to build four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes. In addition, Naval Group and SNC will modernize the T22 frigates and create a maintenance center and a training center.
India’s Ministry of Defence has issued four shipbuilding requests for proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of various ships and craft for the country’s navy and coast guard. As informed, the RFPs amount to INR 150 billion (around USD 2.2 billion) and are part of the Indian government’s defence moderni
The US Navy has officially validated the identity of WWII submarine S-28 (SS-133) wreck located off Oahu, Hawaii, in 2017. After almost 75 years, Tim Taylor and his Lost 52 Expedition Team officially discovered the final resting place for the 49 sailors of the US submarine. July 4, 2019, marks the 7
HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06), the Royal Australian Navy’s last locally built Adelaide class guided missile frigate, has been decommissioned in Sydney. The decomissioning ceremony for the ship was held at Fleet Base East on June 30, 2019, the navy said. The event was a celebration of Newcastle’s dedicated
The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) returned to the US 3rd Fleet area of operations on June 30, following 14 years of forward-deployed service in the Indo-Pacific region operating from Japan. The destroyer is en route to San Diego, where she will be homepo
The ineffective crew training about the use of onboard electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) might have led to the grounding of the Australian Border Force cutter Roebuck Bay, a new investigation shows. In September 2017, the ABFC Roebuck Bay grounded on Henry Reef in the Great Bar
