Up to eight planes and nine ships will assist in today’s search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has determined a search area of about 223,000 square kilometres, 1680 kilometres west north-west of Perth. Eight military planes will assist in the s
Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison MP, participated in a keel laying ceremony on March 31st for the sixth Cape Class Patrol Boat being manufactured at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. The vessel, Cape Leveque, is the sixth of eight Cape Class
The frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ and the OPV ‘Relámpago’ visited Doha (Qatar) during the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2014) Both warships made the most of their scheduled port calls in support of the national defense industry in what is considered the most imp
On March 31, Major General (MAJGEN) Tim Gall became the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand. At a Change of Command parade held at Trentham MAJGEN Gall was promoted to his new rank and took command of Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand (HQ JFNZ). MAJGEN Gall was raised in Invercargill and Nelson
A ceremony was held yesterday at Australian company, Marand, commemorating the delivery of the first ship of Australian made F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter vertical tails. The Honourable Dr. Denis Napthine, Premier of Victoria, and The Honourable Michael Ronaldson, Senator for Victoria rep
On 16th March the Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean visited the Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel, ESPS Relampago for the first time since the ship arrived in the piracy high risk area. ESPS Relampago joined Operation Atalanta, the EU
Aviators on board Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss., got a glimpse into the future of aviation as they stepped into the F-35 Lightening II cockpit demonstrator which made a stop at the installation March 26-27. The F-35, a fifth-generation aircraft, is the jet many of the Navy and Marine Corps avi
After two and a half years protecting the World Food Programme (WFP) ship, MV Caroline Scan, from pirate attack off the coast of Somalia, the EU Naval Force has bid the vessel and her hard-working crew a fond farewell. In April 2014, MV Caroline Scan will be entering a period of maintenance, so th
It’s not every day that passengers on board a civilian cruise liner would get so close to a warship on operations that they could wave to each other, but this is just what happened last week when the German cruise liner, AIDAdiva, with over 2,000 passengers on board, met German frigate FGS Hessen at
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Toowoomba departed Fleet Base West near Perth on 29 March, to join the international search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The Anzac-class frigate has been diverted from other operational tasks to join the search. It will carry a S-70B2 Seahawk helicopter whi
Ahead of Chinese President Xi’s visit to the European Union in Brussels, a significant naval exercise has taken place in the Gulf of Aden to demonstrate the growing cooperation between the EU and China on issues of international security and defence. EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco and FGS Hess
Today’s search and recovery operation in the Australian Search and Rescue Region for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is scheduled to commence about 9 am AEDT this morning. The search activities will involve a total of 10 ships and 10 aircraft, Australian Maritime Safety Authority 8AMSA) said in a rel
The seminar component of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) 2014 wrapped up today after a couple of days of intensive discussion and exchange of ideas by delegates of member nations and observers. The IONS seminar, which was held in Perth after the RAN assumed chairmanship of IONS from the So
On Wednesday 26 March 2014, European Union Ambassadors met with the President of Puntland, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, and his Cabinet on board the French EU Naval Force flagship, FS Siroco, to discuss key issues related to political, security and development cooperation, and to participate in a speci
