Operations
US Navy cruiser, dry cargo ship collide during replenishment at sea maneuver
A Ticonderoga–class guided-missile cruiser collided with a Military Sealift Command-operated cargo ship during an underway replenishment off the southeastern coast of the United States, Feb. 5, the US Navy said. Cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Robert E. P
HMS Montrose visits Darwin on second Asia Pacific port visit
After becoming the first Royal Navy ship to visit Auckland, New Zealand, in 20 years, Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose visited Darwin, Australia. Continuing a trend, the frigate became the first Royal Navy warship in a decade to visit Australia’s northernmost and remotest city. The Plymouth-based warshi
Leonardo to deliver electronic warfare training technology to NATO
NATO’s Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS) agency has awarded Leonardo a contract worth approximately €180 million to provide new electronic warfare training equipment. According to an announcement from Leonardo, equipment will cover air, land and maritime domains and also includes a capabil
US 2nd Fleet assumes control of first forces at sea after 2018 reestablishment
US Navy Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, the US 2nd Fleet (C2F) Commander, embarked the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), marking the first time the fleet has executed command and control over forces at sea. Lewis was aboard the carrier from January 31 through February 1. Un
US, Spanish, Italian warships start drills with French aircraft carrier off Toulon
Ships form the navies of Spain, Italy, and the US got underway from the French naval base in Toulon on February 3 to join the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle and ships form its carrier strike group on their final pre-deployment exercise. The carrier is on the final leg of deployment pre
Australian frigate seizes hashish, heroin in Arabian Sea
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat has seized more than 2.1 tonnes of hashish and 345 kilograms of heroin in two boarding operations in the Arabian Sea. The Australian Navy said the seizures were worth approximately AU$105 million and AU$103.5 million respectively. The interceptions took pl
US Navy places order for two more aircraft carriers as problems with lead ship persist
The US Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) a contract for the construction of two new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 80 and CVN 81, in a bid to achieve cost savings by ordering the two ships at once. As per the navy, the savings exceed $4 b
RFA Mounts Bay nets first drugs in the Caribbean
Just weeks after Royal Navy support ship RFA Mounts Bay embarked US Coast Guard personnel for counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, the team found their first contraband. The Bay-class ship embarked a Dolphin helicopter from the US Coast Guard’s HITRON – Helicopter Interdiction Tactical squ
US, Japan hone maritime patrol coordination
Maritime patrol squadrons from the US Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force met up for a coordinated maritime patrol operational procedures (CMPOP) exercise in Okinawa, Japan, recently. US Navy’s “Golden Swordsmen” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 were joined by JMSDF’s Fleet Air Wing (FAW) 5 for
Northrop Grumman gets $55m to deliver additional five MQ-8C Fire Scouts
The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems a $55 million contract to deliver an additional five Fire Scout MQ-8C unmanned air systems and two lightweight fuel cells. The company is expected to complete work on the contract by August 2021. The MQ-8C is the larger of two Fir
US Navy farewells last operational F/A-18C Hornets
The US Navy is set to retire its last F/A-18C Hornet fighters in a final flight ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana on February 1. The final single-seat, twin-engine, carrier-capable legacy Hornets are still operational with Strike Fighter Squadron 34 and the “Blue Blasters” are the only squadron f
USS Abraham Lincoln starts pre-deployment exercise
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and ships from its carrier strike group (ABECSG) departed Naval Station Norfolk for the final pre-deployment exercise on January 25. The undertaking is called the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and is designed to assess a strike group’s abili
US destroyer seizes almost 5 tons of hashish in Gulf of Aden
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) seized close to 5 tons of narcotics from a stateless vessel in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden on January 24. Chung-Hoon’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team conducted a flag verification boarding and seized 4,700 kilo
Cutlass Express 2019 kicks off in Djibouti
The eighth iteration of the annual multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express taking place in the vicinity of Djibouti, Mozambique and Seychelles began on January 28. Maritime forces from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe, and the United States, as well as several international org