General Dynamics Mission Systems unveiled its new Bluefin-9 autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at the Oceans 2018 event in Charleston, South Carolina. GDMS said the completely reengineered vehicle offers defense, commercial and academic customers highly-detailed subsurface data in minutes
The Republic of Korea Navy conducted five SM-2 surface-to-air missile test flights in back-to-back exercises this summer, missile manufacturer Raytheon announced. ROKN fired two Block IIIA missiles in an initial exercise to test the missiles’ advanced semi-active radar seeker technology. During a se
US shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries started fabrication of the future amphibious assault ship USS Bougainville (LHA 8) at its Pascagoula shipyard on October 15. LHA 8 is the second ship named in honor of the Bougainville Island campaign in World War II and is scheduled to be delivered in 20
Hollywood actor Gerard Butler visited the Pentagon on Tuesday for a press briefing about a new submarine movie produced in collaboration with the US Navy. Butler plays the commander of the fictional attack sub USS Arkansas in the movie “Hunter-Killer,” due out this week. The movie posits an operatio
The US Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) left the pier at Bath Iron Works (BIW) on October 10 for open sea, General Dynamics Marine Systems said. The newbuilding headed for Boston where she will be commissioned on December 1 into the navy fleet. Launched in April 20
The AN/SPY-6(V) radar under development for the US Navy achieved a new milestone recently tracking a ballistic missile through intercept for the first time. According to Raytheon, which is in charge of development and delivery of the new system, the radar detected, acquired and tracked multiple targ
US Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) met up with Royal Thai Navy patrol vessel HTMS Krabi (OPV 551) and frigate HTMS Taksin (FFG 422) for a cooperative deployment in the East China Sea on Oct. 9. The event focused on navigation, communication and ship handling skills, improving intero
“The United States can help Pacific island nations with security needs,” US Navy Undersecretary Thomas B. Modly told reporters in Washington after finishing a trip through the island nations of Oceania. The trip involved stops in Kiribati and its capital on the island of Tarawa. He also visited Papu
The Royal Canadian Navy has given the go-ahead for the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade (UWSU) of its Halifax-class frigates with a contract award to General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada. The upgrade will modernize the underwater warfare sensor suite that is currently installed on the frigates, e
The US Navy will christen the newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), at a ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on October 6. Launched in July this year, the future Frank E. Petersen Jr. will be the 71st Arleigh Burke
The annual IBSAMAR maritime exercise organized between the navies of Brazil, India and South Africa kicked off at Simons Town, South Africa, on October 1. The two-week exercise changes hosts every year, with the previous edition taking place in India. The exercise is designed to build interoperabili
US Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is ready to start Enduring Promise, an 11-week medical assistance mission conducted with host-nation health and government partners in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Honduras. Comfort is scheduled to depart Norfolk on October 11, en route to South America a
US Navy destroyer USS Decatur had a close encounter with a Chinese destroyer during a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea on Sunday. The unidentified Chinese destroyer came as close as 45 ft to USS Decatur in what was described as an “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” by US Paci
US Navy destroyer USS Decatur (DDG-73) challenged China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea with a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the vicinity of the disputed Spratly Islands. On Sunday, September 30, Decatur came within 12 miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in a region claimed by
