The recently-commissioned Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has kicked off preparations for her rotary wing trials which are set to start in the coming weeks. According to the Royal Navy, a Merlin helicopter from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose has been training aboard the aircraft ca
US Navy destroyer USS Carney exited the Black Sea on January 13 after making a port call in Ukraine and taking part in an anti-submarine warfare drill a Romanian frigate and a Turkish submarine. Carney spent a total of eight days in the Black Sea. “Our time in the Black Sea provided the opportunity
French shipbuilder Naval Group has selected navigation and positioning systems company iXblue to deliver its Marins systems for the French Navy’s new FTI (Fregate de Taille Intermediaire) medium-size frigates. As a prime contractor on the FTI project, Naval Group signed a contract with iXblue for th
Sweden’s defense contractor Saab announced it will be demonstrating its AUV62-AT anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training system to the US Navy this year. The AUV62-AT is based on an artificial acoustic system that mimics a submarine. The US Navy will evaluate Saab’s AUV62-AT against its own systems th
Finland’s Patria has contracted Swedish defense contractor Saab for work on the Finnish Navy Squadron 2000 mid-life upgrade program. The contract awarded to Saab is worth SEK 960 million (approx. US$117.7 million) with deliveries set to start in 2018. According to Patria, the total value of the upgr
Russian shipbuilder Yantar delivered the third Project 11356 frigate ‘Admiral Makarov’ to the Russian Navy after a series of prolonged acceptance trials. The main reason for the delay were problems with the frigate-launched Shtil-1 surface to air missile system which had been unstable during operati
The Royal Danish Navy is scheduled to commission its third and final Knud Rasmussen-class patrol vessel, HDMS Lauge Koch (P572), in a ceremony at Naval Station Korsør on December 11. Like its two predecessors, Lauge Koch will be patrolling the North Atlantic performing fisheries inspections, search
After concluding several days of drills with the Egyptian Navy, the French task group composed of helicopter carrier BPC Tonnerre and destroyer FS Chevalier Paul pulled into Aqaba, Jordan, to embark US Marines on December 4. The French Task Group 473.1, together with sailors and marines from Naval A
The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) and embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Souda Bay, Greece, for a scheduled port visit, Nov. 27. This is San Diego’s second port visit in Souda Bay during this deployment. While in port, the crew will con
The UK defense ministry has announced a new homeporting plan for the Royal Navy’s thirteen Type 23 frigates. After the relocation is complete, all eight anti-submarine warfare frigates will be calling Plymouth their home, while the remaining five general-purpose variants will be based in Portsmouth.
Russian shipbuilder Sevmash launched the Russian Navy’s first modernized, Borei-A (Project 955-A) submarine Knyaz Vladimir at its shipyard in Severodivnsk on November 17. The nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) is now set to undergo factory and state tests before entering service. Acc
French Navy frigate FS Auvergne docked in the Western Australian port of Freemantle on November 15, four months into her maiden operational deployment. Departing her homeport of Toulon with an embarked NH90 helicopter in August, the FREMM frigate spent most of the time in the Indian Ocean, as part o
Russian Navy’s third Project 11356 frigate Admiral completed another round of missile-firing tests as part of her state trials, the Russian defense ministry announced. The November test follows a series of tests with the frigate-launched Shtil-1 surface to air missile system which, as it was earlier
An anti-submarine warfare exercise hosted by the Turkish Navy kicked off at Aksaz Naval Base on November 4. Warships from five countries will be training together in the Mediterranean Sea and off the coast of Turkey through November 20. The exercise is called Dogu Akdeniz-17 and is organized by Turk
