US president Donald J. Trump has signed a $717 billion National Defense Authorization Act under which the US Navy would get funds for a total of 13 new vessels. Signed by the president at a ceremony at Fort Drum, New York, August 13, the NDAA includes funds for three littoral combat ships, a fourth
After ceding command over the EU-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa to the Spanish Navy, the Italian Navy has deployed its newest FREMM frigate – ITS Federico Martinengo – to support the mission. The frigate got underway from its homeport in Taranto and joined the operation
Australian Navy ships and personnel are continuing their Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18) deployment after concluding exercise Rim of the Pacific off Hawaii in early August. Landing helicopter dock ship HMAS Adelaide and frigate HMAS Toowoomba – along with a platoon of Australian soldiers from 2R
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland returned to her homeport at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport on August 10, concluding a seven-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific. Sutherland and her crew got underway on January 9, becoming the first Royal Navy vessel to operate in Asia Pacific in rece
Australian shipbuilder Austal announced it has started sea trials for the first Guardian-class Pacific Patrol Boat (PPB-R). The announcement was made on August 8 as part of the company’s celebration of 30 years of successfully delivering shipbuilding programs. The PPB-R program will see 21 Austal de
The Royal Australian Navy’s decommissioned frigate ex-HMAS Darwin is to be scuttled in the waters off Tasmania to become a dive wreck, the Australian government announced August 9. Australian defense minister Marise Payne said she was pleased that the former Adelaide-class frigate would call Tasmani
German Naval Yards and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) – two Kiel-based shipbuilders – are joining forces to compete against a Dutch proposal for the design and construction of the German Navy’s new MKS180 ships. TKMS signed an agreement with German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK) on August 3 under which
The EU-led counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia has welcomed its new flagship from the Spanish Navy. On August 6, Spain’s Galicia-class landing platform dock ESPS Castilla joined the operation Atalanta which received a new force commander on the same day. Rear Admiral Alfonso Nanclares
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy will be sending a warship to Australian waters where it will take part for the first time in the international, biennial exercise Kakadu. Australia has invited China to join the drill in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries, intensified by Ch
Denmark’s defense department has received the final two of overall nine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters delivered by Sikorsky Aircraft under a $686 million contract. The aircraft arrived at the Royal Danish Air Force base Karup on August 1 aboard an American C17 aircraft. MH-60R Seahawks will be flown by
The first of two Australian Navy Cape-class patrol boats – ADV Cape Fourcroy – helped seize approximately 600 kilograms of cocaine and arrest two men in an operation on August 1. The operation was headed by the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF) in collaboration with Maritime Border
Italian Navy amphibious ship ITS San Marco has become a flagship of the EUNAVFOR Med operation Sophia Task Force. San Marco has replaced landing platform dock (LPD) San Giusto which completed six months of deployment in the operation, from February 1 to August 1, 2018. This was the vessel’s second i
Engineers could be able to view the status and predicted health of ships’ systems.
The operation will see the frigate visit 5 countries and transit more than 16700 nautical miles.
