Sensors & Combat Systems
QinetiQ bags 11-year contract extension for Royal Navy mission systems
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded QinetiQ an 11-year, £109 million contract extension to continue to develop and de-risk Royal Navy mission systems and infrastructure through integration and testing at Portsdown Technology Park, Portsmouth, UK. The renewal of the naval combat system integration
French Navy’s fourth FREMM frigate starts sea trials
French shipbuilder DCNS has informed that the fourth French Navy FREMM frigate, FS Auvergne, started sea trials on September 26. Auvergne left the shipyard just days after DCNS launched the fifth of overall eight frigates the French Navy is to acquire. In its first out at sea, the new frigate will s
ASV Global gets MOD licence for MAST USV software use
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has given ASV Global a licence to use its Advanced Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Capability technology. The contract has been signed through Ploughshare Innovations, the technology transfer arm of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). The licence is cent
US Navy awards first production contracts for MQ-4C Triton
Several days after the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was cleared for low-rate initial production, the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman two contracts to produce the aircraft. The first contract, valued at $255.5 million, will see Northrop Grumman manufacture three
Spanish Navy sail training ship visits Cape Verde
Spanish Navy’s sail training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano arrived at Praia, the capital city of Cape Verde, following port visits to Lisbon, Portugal and Las Palmas, Canary Islands. As soon as the ship docked On September 21, a series of protocol activities commenced, starting with the official wel
US, Vietnam People’s Navy kick off NEA in Da Nang
The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) kicked off the seventh-annual naval engagement activity (NEA) Vietnam with a welcome ceremony at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang, September 28. NEA Vietnam has evolved from annual port visits to Da Nang by U.S. Navy ships, which began more than a decade ago,
US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton UAS cleared for low-rate production
U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was authorized for low-rate initial production approval following a successful Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) led review. This decision marks the beginning of the production and deployment phase of the U.S Department of Defense acquisition
Canadian explorers confirm discovery of HMS Terror
A team of explorers from a Canadian government agency has confirmed that the recently discovered wreck located in Terror Bay on the south-west side of King William Island, Nunavut is that of HMS Terror―the second ship of the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage. Parks Can
US Navy’s ‘Iron Man’ diver helmet explained
DAVD, also known as the Divers Augmented Vision Display, is the U.S. Navy’s next-generation diving helmet equipped with binocular-style “smart glasses” which caused media to compare the helmet to that of Iron Man. The micro-display, smaller than a postage stamp, is embedded into the helmet and ready
USS Momsen visits Northern Mariana Islands
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Momsen (DDG 92) arrived in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands for a regularly scheduled port call on September 24. The port call provided Momsen’s crew an opportunity to refresh after four months of operations in the Western Pacific and South China Sea as part
Video: Australia’s first AWD destroyer completes builder’s trials
HMAS Hobart, the first of three Royal Australian Navy Aegis destroyers has successfully completed sea trials off the coast of South Australia. The builder’s sea trials, completed on the weekend, included testing the ship’s hull, propulsion and navigation systems. HMAS Hobart was built at Techport, b
How General Dynamics prepared its Bluefin-21 UUV for ICEX 2016
U.S. defense contractor General Dynamics has had the opportunity to see how its unmanned underwater vehicles operated in the harsh Arctic environment at the U.S. Navy’s ICEX exercise. ICEX is an Arctic proving ground sponsored by the U.S. Navy every two years. The purpose of the exercise is to valid
Mikros Systems gets combat system maintenance contract for US Navy LCS
The U.S. Navy has awarded Mikros Systems Corporation a $3 million task and delivery order for production, logistics support and future development of its Adept distance support sensor suite (ADSSS) condition based maintenance (CBM) system for the Navy’s littoral combat ship (LCS). The provider of ma
Spanish frigate sets out to become NATO maritime group flagship
Spanish Navy F-100 frigate Almirante Juan de Borbón left her homeport to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1) and serve as the group’s flagship until the end of December. Almirante Juan de Borbón (F-102) will relieve sister ship Méndez Núñez which is currently part of the group. This i