Operations
RFA Mounts Bay helping Turks and Caicos Islands tackle surge of migrant arrivals
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay arrived in Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) waters on March 19 to help the the British overseas territory with a recent increase in the number of migrant arrivals from Haiti. TCI police and border control officials observed a surge in the number of illegal sloops
Dutch Navy’s first improved Goalkeeper CIWS passes sea acceptance trials
The Royal Netherlands Navy’s first upgraded Goalkeeper close-in weapon system recently passed its sea acceptance trials aboard landing platform dock HNLMS Johan de Witt, Thales – the company in charge of the system modernization – announced. The test came six years after the company was contracted f
Paul Allen’s research vessel (R/V) Petrel locates another WWII warship
US Navy’s World War II Atlanta-class light cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52) was located off the coast of the Solomon Islands in South Pacific by the crew research vessel (R/V) Petrel. R/V Petrel, which was acquired by Microsoft co-founder and investor Paul Allen and fitted with subsea equipment capable of
Long Range Anti-Ship Missile completes sixth flight test
The Lockheed Martin-developed production-configuration Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) completed its sixth flight test at the Point Mugu Sea Range. The test was carried out by a US Air Force B-1B bomber from the 337th Test Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. According to Lockheed Martin, t
Indo-French naval exercise Varuna kicks off
The Indian and the French navies have launched Varuna 2018, a joint naval exercise, in Goa, India. The first phase of the naval exercise is scheduled to be completed on March 24. In 2018, the exercise will be conducted in three sea areas – the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the South-West Indian
Future USS Tulsa completes acceptance trials
Future US Navy littoral combat ship (LCS) Tulsa (LCS 16) has successfully completed acceptance trials after a series of in-port and underway demonstrations for the US Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. The trials, concluded on March 9, are the last significant milestone before delivery of the sh
CMR module developmental testing wraps up on USS Coronado
The littoral combat ship (LCS) mission modules (MM) program completed developmental testing (DT) of the coastal mine reconnaissance (CMR) mission module aboard USS Coronado (LCS 4) off the coast of Southern California February 22, the US Navy said. Consisting of the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial
‘Up-gunned’ Wasp ARG ships stop in Okinawa after concluding amphibious, F-35B certifications
Ships from the US Navy’s Wasp amphibious ready group made a stop in Okinawa, Japan, on March 15 following two weeks of certifications. Amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived at White Beach, Okinawa, to embark the 31st Marine Expeditiona
US Navy identifies deceased F/A-18F Super Hornet pilots
The US Navy has identified two aviators who died March 14, 2018, when their F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed on final approach near Naval Air Station, Key West, Florida. The aviators have been identified as Lt. Cmdr. James Brice Johnson and Lt. Caleb Nathaniel King, both Florida residents. Both pilots w
Damen wants to build German MKS180 ships in Hamburg
The Netherlands-based shipbuilding group Damen Shipyards is ready to build Germany’s new MKS180 frigates at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, the company has told German parliament members. This is according to a letter seen by German news agency Welt in which Damen, together with its bidding part
Pilots die as US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet crashes off Florida
Two US Navy pilots died after the F/A-18F Super Hornet they flew crashed on final approach to Boca Chica Field, Naval Air Station, Key West, Florida on March 14. The navy said search and rescue crews recovered both the pilot and weapons systems officer from the water approximately one mile east of t
Australian submarine holds burial at sea ceremony for Royal Navy submariners
Sailors aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarine HMAS Rankin held a burial at sea ceremony recently, scattering the ashes of three former Royal Navy submariners off the coast of Western Australia. The ceremony is known as a Committal of Ashes to the Sea (COATS) in the Royal Austral
DIMDEX 2018: Fincantieri, Barzan Holdings eye cooperation
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Barzan Holdings, a company wholly owned by the Qatari Ministry of Defense, could possibly cooperate in the coastal defence surveilllance sector in the future. Fincantieri and Barzan Holdings, responsible for empowering the military capabilities of the national arm
Report reveals how Australian Navy’s 1st submarine was lost
Australia’s first submarine was most likely lost during an underwater operation off the coast of Papua New Guinea as it returned to Rabaul, according to the findings of a report from the expedition that found the wreck of HMAS AE1. The submarine was discovered during an expedition led by Find AE1 Li