Submarines
Second large-scale naval drill in Baltic Sea kicks off
Over 40 vessels from NATO and ally countries gathered in Turku, Finland, to kick off a second major exercise in the Baltic Sea on October 25. The exercise is called Northern Coasts and is organized by Germany and hosted by a different Baltic Sea nation each year. It will run concurrent with Trident
Terma, Chemring sign soft-kill countermeasures cooperation deal
Danish Terma and UK-based Chemring Countermeasures announce they are teaming up to develop a complete soft-kill solution for surface unit defense. By integrating Terma’s C-Guard defensive aid suite and Chemring’s CENTURION fully trainable 130mm launcher, both capable of deploying a range of off-boar
Royal Navy starts F-35B rolling vertical landing trials
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was at the center of an important milestone for the F-35 program as an F-35B performed the first ever shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) British test pilot Peter Wilson conducted the landing this weekend. Previously the jets have conducted only
Finland hosting over 40 vessels for exercise Northern Coasts
Finland will be hosting a total of 4,000 personnel and over 40 vessels for this year’s edition of the Baltic Sea drill Northern Coasts 2018 (NOCO). This will be the third time Finland is hosting the German Navy-led international exercise. According to the Finnish defense ministry, NOCO18 will involv
Turkish-hosted ASW drill Mavi Balina wraps up
The Turkish Navy-hosted exercise Mavi Balina concluded on October 9, after a week of evolutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mavi Balina consisted of a port phase which started September 27 and transitioned to the at-sea portion on September 30. The biannual anti-submarine warfare exercise also
Royal Navy to base all Type 26 frigates in Devonport
The eight Type 26 frigates being built for the Royal Navy will be homeported in Devonport, UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson has announced. The 6,900-tonne frigates will be anti-submarine warships and will provide protection for the UK nuclear deterrent and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft car
International SMARTEX exercise wraps up in the Mediterranean Sea
Ships and personnel from the US, Spain, Germany and France concluded the four-day Smart Defense Exercise (SMARTEX) on September 28. SMARTEX is a NATO initiative designed to enhance interoperability and training between participating countries. During the exercise, Spanish sailors embarked aboard the
L3 buys unmanned vessel specialist ASV Global
US defense contractor L3 Technologies announced it has acquired unmanned surface vessel (USV) and autonomous vessel control systems company ASV Global. With this acquisition, L3 is expanding its unmanned vessel portfolio with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) solutions, unmanned off-board sensors and int
Royal Navy Sea Kings retire with ceremonial flypast after 49 years of service
The Royal Navy’s Sea King Mk7 helicopters officially retired from active service as two Sea Kings from 849 Naval Air Squadron performed a final, three-hour flypast on September 19. Helicopters ZE420 and ZA126 flew as far east as Teignmouth, over the wilds of Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, the northern Co
HMS Diamond wraps up two-month deployment
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond is on her way home after spending two months on operations in the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. The destroyer has been activated throughout the traditionally busy summer season, as she monitored Russian naval activity twice, visited four ports and helped tra
Veolia starts deconstructing Redoutable-class nuclear submarines
Naval Group has started deconstruction operations on French Navy’s five first-generation ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) in Cherbourg, France. The project was awarded by French defense procurement agency to Naval Group in 2016. Subsequently, Naval Group has entrusted Veolia with the contract rel
Russia announces 25-ship Mediterranean Sea drill
Just days after media reports on Russia’s naval buildup in the Mediterranean Sea first emerged, the country’s defense ministry on Thursday announced a large-scale drill in the Mediterranean. Prior to the defense ministry’s announcement, the Russian Navy was said to have a little over ten warships sa
Russian frigate Admiral Makarov transits English Channel en route to Black Sea homeport
Russia’s third Project 11356 frigate, the Admiral Makarov, transited the English Channel on August 20 as she sails for her new homeport in the Black Sea. The 4,000-ton Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate was escorted through the Channel by Portsmouth-based minehunter HMS Hurworth and a Wildcat HMA2 he
German Naval Yards, TKMS join forces on German MKS180 warship bid
German Naval Yards and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) – two Kiel-based shipbuilders – are joining forces to compete against a Dutch proposal for the design and construction of the German Navy’s new MKS180 ships. TKMS signed an agreement with German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK) on August 3 under which