Sensors & Combat Systems
Naval Group announces first French FTI frigate suppliers
French shipbuilder Naval Group recently announced the selection of first equipment suppliers for the five future intermediate-size frigates (FTI) to be built for the Marine Nationale. As part of the framework construction contract awarded to Naval Group by the French Defence Procurement Agency in Ap
Qinetiq unveils design of new Portsdown Technology Park facility
Construction of a new naval testing facility at the Portsdown Technology Park (PTP) in Portsmouth, UK, is set to begin soon, UK defense technology company Qinetiq announced as it unveiled the facility’s design. Together with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Qinetiq is investing £23m in
Royal Navy, Thales trial surface warship sonar software upgrades
French defense and technology company Thales worked with the Royal Navy recently to see if upgrades in submarine sonar systems could be applied on towed array sonars used on surface ships such as the Type 23 frigates. Sonar 2076 is the Royal Navy’s major sonar platform on all submarines, while the T
Gallery: Submarines surface in the Arctic Circle as part of ICEX 2018
The US Navy has shared photos of two of its submarines surfacing in the Arctic Circle on March 10 as part of the multinational maritime Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018. Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) and Seawolf-class fast attack submarine, USS Connecticut (SSN 22) broke thr
Pakistan contracts Turkey’s STM for modernization of second Agosta 90B submarine
Turkish defense contractor STM announced it has been awarded a contract to modernize a second Pakistan Navy Agosta 90B submarine. The contract signing ceremony took place March 1 at the premises of Pakistan defense ministry’s procurement agency. The contract for the modernization of the first submar
Plasan to provide armoring for UK Type 26 frigates
Israel-based ballistic protection company Plasan will be delivering armoring solutions for the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates, the company announced on Thursday. Plasan received the armoring contract from BAE Systems, the main contractor for the Type 26 program. The frigates are to be built at BA
French Navy starts annual Jeanne D’Arc mission
Two French Navy ships, joined by UK marines and sailors and their Wildcat helicopters, got underway from Toulon naval base on February 26 to start a five-month deployment to Asia-Pacific. The Jeanne D’Arc mission is an annual deployment undertaken by French Navy ships over a five-month period. Last
French ECA Group presents mid-sized mine warfare AUV ‘A18-M’
French autonomous systems developer ECA Group recently unveiled and demonstrated its new mid-sized mine counter measure autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the A18-M. A live demonstration of the company’s new AUV family member took place off Toulon, Southern France, on February 16. According to the
Royal Navy decommissions inshore survey vessel HMS Gleaner
The Royal Navy has decommissioned its smallest ship, the HMSML Gleaner, in a ceremony at Devonport Naval Base. Crewed by just eight sailors, Her Majesty’s Survey Motor Launch (HMSML) Gleaner spent 35 years in service with the Royal Navy. Since her commissioning in 1983, Gleaner has operated in the m
Asia Pacific deployment: Royal Navy frigate honors sunken HMAS Sydney
HMS Sutherland, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate on a deployment to Asia Pacific, stopped in the Eastern Indian Ocean to honor the sunken Royal Australian Navy cruiser HMAS Sydney. The wreck of the wartime cruiser HMAS Sydney lies off the west coast of Australia and 500 miles northwest of Perth. Sydney
NATO groups in Black Sea make port calls in Bulgaria
NATO ships from two maritime groups currently operating in the Black Sea entered two Bulgarian port cities for weekend port calls. On February 10, three warships from Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) arrived in Varna, Bulgaria, as part of their routine Black Sea patrol. Led by Royal Navy Com
Turkish minehunter finds historic mine in Black Sea
A Turkish Navy minehunter deployed to NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) discovered a historic mine during routine training in the Black Sea on February 7. According to NATO Maritime Command, minehunter TCG Akcay discovered the mine using her mine hunting sonar to scan the sea
TKMS cuts steel for first Israeli Sa’ar 6-class corvette
Construction of a new class of Israeli Navy corvettes started in Germany on February 7, with a steel-cutting ceremony at the Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems shipyard in Kiel. The high profile ceremony was attended by the head of the Israeli Navy, Admiral Eli Sharvit, and German Navy inspector Vice-admir
Polish rescue vessel ORP Piast getting sonar, DP system upgrades
The Polish Navy recently awarded Teledyne RESON a contract to deliver a multibeam system for its rescue vessel ORP Piast. The company announced on February 8 that the SeaBat T50-R multibeam sonar system was delivered and is currently being installed in the hull of the rescue vessel at the Nauta Ship