European missile manufacturer MBDA has opened a new facility in Bolton, Great Britain, in a ceremony attended by UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson. During the ceremony, the defense secretary unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of five years of work and £50 million worth of investment into t
The Royal Navy’s newest survey ship has been formally welcomed into the naval family in her home of Devonport. The commissioning ceremony for the new ship, named HMS Magpie, was held on June 28, 2018. Among the attendees was the Duke of Edinburgh, who was in charge of the previous Magpie between 195
After concluding international exercise Tradewinds 2018, Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay is touring British territories in the Caribbean region to help them prepare for this year’s storm season. The 2017 storm season was among the worst in recent memory with a succession of hurricanes batterin
Mine countermeasure assets from the US and Royal Navy teamed up recently to test their skills during a major exercise in the Persian Gulf. The Royal Navy’s entire presence in the Middle East was engaged in Mine Countermeasures Exercise 18-2, designed to see how the navies of Britain and the USA can
The US Naval Oceanography’s Fleet Survey Team (FST) and Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC) recently joined the Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise for an opportunity to develop interoperability with European allies in mine countermeasure operations. FST and the Hydrographic Support Squa
The Croatian Navy is preparing to deploy one of its vessels to NATO’s Mediterranean Sea operation Sea Guardian this year. While Croatian Navy vessels took part in NATO drills in the past, including Trident Juncture in 2015, the announced deployment would be the first time for a Croatian Navy vessel
The US State Department has approved a potential sale of five Aegis shipsets for the Spanish Navy’s new F-110 frigates. A contract for the construction of five frigates is expected to be awarded this year and Navantia is already working on some elements of the ships’ systems and design. The potentia
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) returned to operations after concluding a four-day port visit to Marseille, France, on June 25. While in Marseille, Truman sailors welcomed more than 150 French guests aboard for a reception, June 23, including US Ambassador to the French Republi
The Russian Navy has commissioned Ivan Khurs, the navy’s second Project 18280 intelligence-gathering ship. The commissioning ceremony for the newbuilding was held at St. Petersburg’s Severnaya Verft shipyard on June 25, 2018. The vessel, designed to provide signals intelligence (SIGINT), electronic
Three Italian Navy warships, with 85 years of service between them, embarked on their final “deployment” before they bow out of active navy service in a ceremony scheduled for July 16. Aside from the task of training navy cadets, the deployment will be more of a tour of Tyrrhenian Sea port cities, a
A Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) failed to leave the MK. 41 vertical launch system after the rocket booster burned out while the missile was still inside its canister during a live-firing drill conducted by German air defense frigate FGS Sachsen. Nobody was hurt during the accident, the German Navy said
Royal Navy’s Portsmouth based minehunter HMS Brocklesby left her homeport June 19 to start a 6,000-mile journey to Bahrain, to take over from her sister ship HMS Middleton. The Hunt-class minehunter will form part of a four-strong permanent minehunter presence in the Gulf, working alongside coalitio
French Navy frigate FS Nivôse has seized over 250 kilograms from a suspected vessel in her first month of operations as part of the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150). The narcotics were seized in a June 8 operation in which the crew of Nivôse boarded and inspected a dhow off the coast of Somalia. The
Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll became the third Royal Navy ship to deploy to Asia as she got underway from her Devonport Naval base on June 18. The frigate will be spending the next nine-months in Asia, sailing as far as Japan as part of a national push to strengthen military and diplomatic ties in [&he
