Sensors & Combat Systems
France pinpoints three La Fayette frigates for mid-life upgrades
The French defense ministry has pinpointed three Marine Nationale La Fayette-class frigates (FLF) that will be receiving mid-life upgrades. From 2021, the lead ship FS La Fayette, along with third and fourth ships in the class, FS Courbet and FS Aconit, will benefit from an upgraded ships’ platform
Qinetiq to help reduce Royal Navy subs’ acoustic, electromagnetic signatures
UK defense contractor QinetiQ has won a £18.7 million ($22.7m) contract to help reduce the acoustic and electromagnetic signatures of Royal Navy submarines and ships. Each ship or submarine has a unique acoustic and electromagnetic signature – the bigger this signature the easier it is to detect, id
NATO group wraps up deployment’s first drills in US waters
Maritime Express will also see cooperation between military vessels and the commercial shipping community.
Denmark buying low frequency sonars, sonobuoys for its MH-60R helicopters
The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of nine AN/AQS-22 airborne low frequency sonar (ALFS) systems and six hundred AN/SSQ-36/53/62 sonobuoys for its fleet of MH-60R helicopters. The possible sale has an estimated value of $200 million, according to the US Defense Sec
Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster welcomes back crew after two-year overhaul
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster welcomed her crew back on board as it is nearing the end of a two year overhaul. One hundred and twenty-nine crew of the Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster have moved back on board the ship, breathing new life into the 4,500-ton warship following a two year over
BAE Systems cuts steel for second Royal Navy Type 26 frigate Cardiff
Construction of the second of eight Royal Navy Type 26 frigates has gotten underway with a ceremony on the river Clyde. The first steel for future HMS Cardiff was cut at prime contractor BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard where the company has already assembled first blocks of the lead City-class frigate H
Russian Navy nuclear test site explosion kills two, injures six
An explosion at a Russian military range in Nyonoksa in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region on August 8 killed two and injured another six servicemembers, defense officials have confirmed. The Arctic missile test site is used by the Russian Navy to test intercontinental ballistic missiles. Following
HMS Duncan arrives in the Gulf to bolster merchant shipping protection
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan has arrived in the Persian Gulf where it is set to ensure the safe passage of British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz following Iran’s seizing of tanker Stena Impero on July 19. Last week the government confirmed that the Royal Navy has been tasked to accom
UK sending destroyer Duncan to Persian Gulf amid Iran tensions
The UK is sending Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan to the Persian Gulf in the wake of an escalation of tensions in the region following the scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal and a spate of attacks on commercial tankers. HMS Duncan was operating in the Black Sea when the ship’s new tasking was announced
Royal Navy frigate gears for return to fleet after two-year overhaul
Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster is preparing to welcome crew back on board, two years after starting her overhaul in 2017. Upgrades to the ship included the installation of the new Artisan 3D radar, improved navigational radar and the new-generation Sea Ceptor missile system which replaces the now-
Video: HMS Queen Elizabeth tests newly-installed Phalanx CIWS for first time
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has carried out the first test of its two Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS), engaging both air and surface targets. The trial took place on July 7, as the ship is in the final stages of preparations for a departure to the US coast where it will wr
NATO ASW exercise Dynamic Mongoose underway off Norway
Ships and submarines from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) are taking part in the anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose in the Norwegian Sea and across the Article Circle. The group shifted into the new area of operations from the Baltic Sea where it completed its participation in
UK Royal Marines test new Lightweight Multirole Missiles
UK’s Royal Marines have tested their ability to take out airborne targets with a new laser-guided missile system on the ranges in south Wales. Air Defence Troop of Plymouth-based 30 Commando IX Group is the first sub unit to use the fresh-out-the-packet Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) system. Th
Romania picks Naval Group, SNC for new corvette program
The Romanian authorities have selected French Naval Group and its Romanian partner Santierul Naval Constanta (SNC) for the program to build four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes. In addition, Naval Group and SNC will modernize the T22 frigates and create a maintenance center and a training center.