Hydrographic survey ship HMS Echo arrived in Odessa on December 19, becoming the first Royal Navy ship to visit Ukraine since the Sea of Azov crisis from late November when Russian forces seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels and detained Ukrainian sailors. Echo docked in Odessa after entering the Bla
US defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced it has delivered the first Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) to the US Air Force, achieving early operational capability (EOC) status ahead of schedule. The air-launched LRASM variant, integrated onboard the B-1B bombers, provides an early operatio
Royal Canadian Navy vessels ranging from coastal defense vessels through frigates to replenishment oilers returned to their Atlantic and Pacific bases from operations in European, South American, and Asia-Pacific waters. Kingston-class coastal defense vessels HMCS Edmonton and Nanaimo returned to Ca
US Navy sailors attached to the amphibious ready group centered around the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) started their deployment on December 17, after getting underway from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. In addition to USS Kearsarge as the flagship, the group includes S
The Indian Navy has commissioned its fifth Mk-IV landing craft utility in a ceremony at Port Blair on December 19. The ship has been indigenously designed and built by M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The LCU is an amphibious ship with its primary role being transportatio
The “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 completed their carrier qualifications December 12 aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), the US Navy has announced. The carrier qualifications are the final required component for Commander Joint Strike Fighter Wing (CJSFW) to issue the squadron its sa
Royal Australian Navy Collins-class submarine HMAS Rankin returned to her homeport at Fleet Base West after seven months of operations. Arriving just in time for Christmas, the crew were welcomed by friends, family and representatives of the Submarine Force. Rankin’s return to her home port comes af
US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman returned home on December 16, becoming the first US Navy Nimitz-class carrier to complete a deployment under the new dynamic force employment concept. In all, the flattop spent some seven months on operations since first deploying from naval station Norfolk on
Royal Navy Type 23 frigates HMS Westminster and HMS Monmouth returned to their homeports in Portsmouth and Devonport, respectively, on December 14. Westminster returned after an eight-week stint in the North and Baltic Sea where she trained with other NATO and ally ships as part of NATO’s largest ex
The US Navy’s John C. Stennis carrier strike group (CSG) and the Essex amphibious ready group (ARG) commenced integrated operations in the Arabian Sea on December 12. While steaming, USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and USS Essex (LHD 2) are supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, providing armed suppo
Nearly 6,500 sailors from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) are scheduled to return to Naval Station Norfolk on December 16, after completing an eight-month deployment across the 2nd, 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. The returning units of HSTCSG include flagship USS Harry S. Tr
Although the US Navy and Marine Corps are working to rebuild the readiness of their forces while growing and modernizing their aging fleet of ships and aircraft, achieving readiness recovery goals will take years. This is due to the fact that both services continue to be challenged to rebuild readin
The Indian Navy’s hydrographic survey ship INS Sarvekshak arrived at the Port Louis Harbour in Mauritius on December 11, 2018. The ship will operate in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius for about two months to carry out joint hydrographic and oceanographic surveys for the production of
The Pakistan Navy has launched a new survey vessel in China. The launching ceremony was held at Dajin Heavy Industry shipyard on December 11, 2018. The 3,000-ton newbuilding was launched into Yangtze River. As explained, this is the largest survey vessel to be built for the Pakistan Navy under Sino-
