U.S. defense contractor Raytheon announced it has tested a new electric gun for the Phalanx close-in weapon system. The company said the new upgrade allowed soldiers and sailors to fire at varying rates, which uses less ammunition. The goal of the live-fire test was to ensure the electric gun can op
Russian shipbuilder Zvezdochka (Star) completed overhaul works on the Russian Navy’s Project 949A Oscar-class submarine ‘Orel’ and sent the boat from its shipyard back to the Northern Fleet’s Zapadnaya Litsa naval base. Orel started her voyage from Severodvinsk on April 6 and reached Zapadnaya Litsa
Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi concluded its participation in the EU NAVFOR-led operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea. The carrier stepped down from its duty as flagship of the mission on April 4, some six month after joining the group. During its time spent with operation
Ships and personnel from U.S., UK and France have kicked off the two-week multilateral amphibious exercise Alligator Dagger 17. The drill is taking place in international waters off the coast of Djibouti and in the vicinity of Djibouti and Arta Beach, between April 5 and 20. Participating forces inc
U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) completed ballistic missile defense (BMD) certification on April 5, off the coast of Southern California as part of deployment preparations. The goal of BMD is to use surveillance and interception techniques to defend the U.S
U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the Eisenhower carrier strike group have been ready to deploy on short notice ever since they returned from their 2016 deployment. Now, approximately 6,000 sailors are conducting a sustainment exercise (SUSTEX) to maintain their readiness and capability to deploy should
The UK Royal Marines are being restructured to better fit the changing Royal Navy fleet, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, some 200 Royal Marine roles are being repurposed with around half of them being backroom function roles, like drivers and
A Royal Navy Lynx Mk 8 helicopter recently performed air carriage and jettison trials of the MBDA-made Sea Venom/ANL anti-ship missile. According to the missile manufacturer, the trials proved that the missile can be integrated onto the Lynx and Super Lynx helicopters. Sea Venom/ANL has been develop
Indian and Chinese Navy ships prevented pirates from hijacking a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden late on April 8. The captain of the Tuvalu-registered bulk carrier MV OS 35 sent a distress call after the pirates attacked and boarded the vessel. The vessel’s crew locked themselves in a strong roo
The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific ordered the U.S. Navy’s Carl Vinson carrier strike group to change course and head towards the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea’s advancing weapons tests. The change of direction was announced on Saturday by the U.S. Pacific Command after the sh
Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat departed Western Australia on April 3 kicking off a deployment to the South East Asia. Upgraded with anti-ship missile defense, the frigate departed navy base HMAS Stirling under the command of Commander David Landon. During her time in South
The U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, USS America (LHA 6), destroyed a drone in a live-fire exercise using its ship self-defense Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) system on April 6. The live-fire exercise was part of an Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Integration
German Navy tender ‘Main’ is set to return to its homeport in Eckernförde on April 13, concluding her deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. The tender spent six-months resupplying other EU ships deployed to the EU NAVFOR led operation Sophia which fights against human smugglers in the Mediterranean S
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755), the military service’s newly-commissioned National Security Cutter, and crew arrived at its homeport at Coast Guard Island in Alameda on Thursday, April 6th. Munro is the sixth NSC to be commissioned and the fourth to be homeported on the West Coast in A
