US Navy’s Blue Ridge-class command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) completed a ten-month maintenance period in Rijeka, Croatia, returning to its forward-deployed homeport in Gaeta, Italy on October 27. The flag ship of US 6th Fleet completed a shipyard maintenance evolution at the Croatian Viktor Le
Marking the 20th anniversary of their collaboration on naval projects, Lockheed Martin and Navantia signed a new memorandum of agreement (MoA) to continue their cooperation on new naval projects. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to explore mutually beneficial new business oppo
US Navy littoral combat ship USS Coronado recently helped researchers from the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) test their new, low cost, unmanned aerial vehicle ‘Nomad’. Tests concluded in August and helped demonstrate the Nomad’s upgraded launch and control capabilities as well as a new recovery
Divers from the US, German and Dutch navies concluded several days of expeditionary mine countermeasures (ExMCM) training as part of exercise Bold Alligator 2017 (BA17). The combined ExMCM force had members from the Royal Netherlands Navy Defense Dive Group Very Shallow Water (VSW) Dive Platoon, Ger
UK-based navigation systems supplier Kelvin Hughes announced it has been awarded a contract to deliver its navigation radars for the Philippine Navy’s two new frigates currently being constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The contract for the construction of the 2,600 ton frigates was awarded to
The US Navy’s next Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, the USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), is to be commissioned on March 24, 2018, in Charleston, South Carolina, US Navy secretary Richard V. Spencer has announced. Ralph Johnson, commanded by Cmdr. Jason Patterson, is the 64th Arleigh Burke-c
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 joined NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy, to take part in a series of experiments and trials last week. Royal Navy’s HMS Diamond, Turkish Navy’s TCG Barbaros and Spain’s ESPS Blas de Lezo visited Italy after
Mine countermeasure experts form the UK and US navies embarked the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay to complete the Mine Identification and Exploitation Exercise 2017 . The exercise allowed for US and UK forces to share knowledge of mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities in searching, identi
The first of Royal Australian Navy’s new Aegis-equipped destroyers HMAS Hobart got underway on October 18, setting sail for the first time as a commissioned warship. Her departure from Fleet Base East, Garden Island, Sydney on Wednesday heralded the much anticipated return to sea for the Guided Miss
Boeing has recently awarded Lockheed Martin two contracts to upgrade its IRST21 sensor system for use on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F fleet. The Block II contracts provide up to $100 million for developing advanced software, performing hardware upgrades and delivering prototypes. These efforts will fur
The prime contractor on the Swedish Navy’s Göteborg-class corvette upgrade project has contracted Kongsberg Maritime to deliver ST2400 VDS (Varial Depth Sonar) systems to enhance the corvettes’ anti-submarine warfare capabilities. HSwMS Gävle and HSwMS Sundsvall, the two remaining corvettes in the c
The German Navy’s fifth Type 212A submarine ‘U35’ has damaged one of the blades on her X-shaped rudder during deepwater tests off the coast of Norway. The U35 is now at the TyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard in Kiel where it is being assessed for damages. According to the German Navy, the ac
Ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) are heading to France for a scheduled port visit and ordnance disposal operations. The ships are scheduled to arrive in Cherbourg on October 20 where they will coordinate with the French Navy in preparation for historical ordnance dis
Following this year’s spate of incidents involving US Navy ships forward-deployed to Japan, Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces ordered Ready For Sea Assessments (RFSA) for all surface warships. Surface combatants forward deployed to Japan are being assessed first through a revie
