Australian shipbuilder Austal has delivered the second high speed support vessel (HSSV) RNOV Al Naasir (S12) to the Royal Navy of Oman. RNOV Al Naasir was delivered less than 4 months after the delivery of the RNOV Al Mubshir (S11), in May 2016 under a US$124.9 million design, construct and integrat
Iranian Revolutionary Coast Guard patrol boats have forced a U.S. Navy ship to undertake evasive maneuvers on Sunday in the latest instance of altercation between the two sides. According to reports, seven Iranian patrol boats emerged from behind fishing dhows to conduct fast approaches toward the U
European missile developer MBDA signed a contract with the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) for the supply of a coastal defense system to the Middle East country. According to MBDA, the coastal missile system will deploy two different munitions, Marte ER (the Extended Range version of the Marte miss
HMAS Perth has notched up more-than 10,000 nautical miles since leaving Australia on 7 June, and Commanding Officer, Captain Ivan Ingham, said his crew has now settled in to their Middle East deployment. “The first phase was getting to the Middle East region and on the way we travelled via Indonesia
Just a day after four Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats charged a U.S. Navy destroyer near the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. Navy coastal patrol boat was forced to fire warning shots to fend off fast approaching Iranian vessels in the North Persian Gulf. USS Squall and USS Tempest, both Cyclone-cla
Four Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats came within 300 yards of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Nitze on August 23 in the latest run-in between U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian boats carried out a high-speed intercept of the U.S. destroyer which was described as “unsafe and unprofess
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of Mk-V fast patrol boats and related equipment, training, and support to Qatar. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the estimated cost of the sale is $124.02 million. The government of Qatar has also requested
The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) is scheduled to depart Hawaii on August 25 together with the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) for a surface action group deployment to the Arabian Gulf and Western Pacific Ocean. While deployed, Hopper and its crew of more th
U.S. Navy’s amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), with embarked U.S. Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), transited the Suez Canal and entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on August 7. Navigating the 120-mile-long canal is no easy task, requiring hours of
Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans returned to Naval Base Portsmouth today following a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. Hundreds of friends and families lined the Naval Base as the Type 23 frigate returned from the Gulf where she joined the US and French navies in the fight against Daesh. ‘Th
The Pakistan Navy has taken command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) after conducting a handover ceremony with the Royal Navy. Commodore Bilal Abdul Nasir of the Pakistan Navy assumed command of CTF150 from Commodore Guy Robinson of the Royal Navy on August 4 in
The U.S. Coast Guard maritime engagement team (MET) and the Royal Navy from HMS Portland (FS 79) recently carried out a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise at a training site in Bahrain. The exercise was held between July 26- 27 aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain which included a Shi
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Darwin was welcomed home at Garden Island in Sydney as she returned from a seven month deployment to the Middle East. Darwin seized a large amount of drugs and weapons while deployed on Operation Manitou, disrupting the ability of international terrorist groups to
French president Francois Hollande said the French Navy aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle would be sent back to the Middle East this fall to reinforce the fight against ISIS terrorists. The president also said there was a possibility for France to send additional ground troops for training and s
