Austal today welcomed a high profile defence delegation, including the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, to its Western Australian facility. The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, was accompanied by Australia’s Minister for Defence, the Hon Stephen Smith,
On Wednesday 16 January 2013 Rear Admiral Duncan Potts handed over operational command of the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) to Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant. Rear Admiral Potts has commanded EU NAVFOR, the European Union’s counter piracy mission off Somalia, since August 2011. This period has wi
Raytheon Company is observing a significant program milestone, its 40th year as the U.S. Navy’s provider of AN/SPY-1 radar transmitters and MK99 Fire Control Systems for the Navy’s AEGIS weapon system. Both critical components of the weapon system, the AN/SPY-1 radar and MK99 perform the search, tra
The United States Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) has extended the charter of the Austal high speed vessel WestPac Express for six months with the award of a US$7.0 million modification to the contract announced in December 2011. This modification exercises the second of three six-month charte
Early yesterday morning EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) warship FS Surcouf came to the rescue of ten mariners at sea 30 miles off the Somali Coast, after their boat, known as a dhow, started to sink into the deep ocean. The master of the Indian flagged dhow had sent out a distress call after the [&hellip
In the morning of 11th January 2013, the Force Commander of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes held a meeting on board his flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez with the Commander of the Combined Maritime counter-piracy task force, Commodore Muhammad Hisham SI (Pakistan Navy).
Austal announced the launch of the first-in-series Cape Class Patrol Boat during a ceremony with staff and suppliers at the company’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia on January 7. The vessel is the first of eight new boats being built by Austal for the Australian Customs and Border Protectio
After five-and-a-half years as a forward-deployed submarine stationed in Guam, the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Buffalo (SSN 715) departed for her new homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Jan. 11. Buffalo and its crew now head to Hawaii for a scheduled extended maintenance period and mission availab
The Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Toowoomba has departed her home port of Fleet Base West in Western Australia for a six-month deployment to the Middle East. Toowoomba and her crew of 180 men and women will relieve HMAS Anzac, which has been in the Middle East for the past six month
After a successful six-month deployment conducting maritime security and interception operations. in the Middle East Area of Operations HMAS Anzac (III) is heading home to Australia for some well deserved leave. The Royal Australian Navy frigate is heading home to Fleet Base East in Sydney after pat
In the evening of 5th January, a merchant vessel sailing 260 miles off the Somali Coast, made a distress call, reporting that she was coming under attack by six men in a fast moving boat, armed with rocket propelled grenades. Thankfully, having employed avoidance tactics, the merchant vessel was abl
Three Chinese navy ships returning from counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden have docked at south Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, kicking off a five-day good-will visit on Monday, Chinese Ministry of Defence reports citing Xinhua. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships belonging to the 1
On January the 3rd the Combat Replenishment Ship Cantabria left La Graña Naval Port in Spain for a one year deployment to Australia. Admiral Jaime Muñoz-Delgado (Spanish Navy Chief of Staff) and Admiral Santiago Bolivar (Admiral of the Fleet) attended the farewell ceremony. During his speech, Admira
President Barack Obama signed the $633 billion fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act into law yesterday. The legislation, which cleared Congress last month, authorizes the department to act in any number of instances. “There are certain things that cannot be done without [the authorization
