HMS Audacious, the fourth of overall seven Astute-class nuclear-powered submarines the Royal Navy will operate, was launched on April 28, at BAE Systems’ Devonshire Dock Hall, in Scotland. The naming ceremony of the 7,400 tonne, 97-metre long submarine took place in December last year, one year afte
The U.S. Navy has awarded Canadian Commercial Corp a $49.5 million contract for the Electro-Optics Sensor system for the Military Sealift Command’s Situational Awareness System program (MSC-EOS). According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the MSC-EOS system will be installed on Military Sealift Co
The Finnish Defence Forces have signed a contract with Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) for the design of the Finnish Navy’s four Squadron 2020 project multirole corvettes. The 7.5 million euro design contract follows the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between the Defence Forces and RMC
The U.S. Navy, together with Raytheon, completed the preliminary design review (PDR) for the new Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, confirming system development is on track for delivery to the designated ship classes. EASR is the U.S. Navy’s advanced radar for aircraft carriers and amphibious warfa
U.S. Navy’s Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) tested its SeaRAM missile against an aerial drone, destroying the target in a test off the Southern California coast, April 22. The drone was simulating an anti-ship missile as part of a combat system ship qualification trials
Earlier this month USNS Kanawha replenished ESPS Galicia of EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta at sea (RAS). Having sailed into the counter-piracy sea areas in the Gulf of Aden, the flag ship of Operation Atalanta, ESPS Galicia went alongside USNS Kanawha to replenish fuel and stores in preparation for he
French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday authorized shipbuilder DCNS to start the construction of five FTI (Fregate de Taille Intermediaire) medium-size frigates for the French Navy. The 4,000-tonne front-line frigates, equipped for anti-submarine warfare with widened self-defence and
The Australian Navy’s Multi-role Aviation Training Vessel (MATV) MV Sycamore has completed sea trials, Dutch shipbuilder Damen announced. MV Sycamore was built at Damen’s Vietnam shipyard and will now be prepared for her maiden voyage to her home port of Sydney, Australia, where she is expected to a
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $113 million contract to perform work on the Standard Missile in use by the U.S. and other ally navies. Under the contract, Raytheon will be performing engineering and technical services on Standard Missile 2, 3, and 6 for fis
The lead ship of the next generation of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), has completed builder’s sea trials and is now starting preparations for the acceptance trials. The aircraft carrier returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia on April 14 after seven days of
The U.S. Navy is joining forces with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to refit and modernize up to five of the Yard Patrol (YP) 676 class training craft. Work will be performed at the USCG Yard in Baltimore, Maryland, and will allow the midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) to continue training onb
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair a $19.4 million contract to perform post shakedown availability (PSA) work on the U.S. Navy’s two new Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. The contract will see BAE Systems perform maintenance and eventual rep
U.S. defense contractor Raytheon announced it has tested a new electric gun for the Phalanx close-in weapon system. The company said the new upgrade allowed soldiers and sailors to fire at varying rates, which uses less ammunition. The goal of the live-fire test was to ensure the electric gun can op
U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) completed ballistic missile defense (BMD) certification on April 5, off the coast of Southern California as part of deployment preparations. The goal of BMD is to use surveillance and interception techniques to defend the U.S
