US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) arrived in Aqaba, Jordan on Sunday, April 15, ahead of the start of the joint US-Jordanian exercise Eager Lion 2018. The two ships arrived with components of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit for an exe
US Navy cruisers and destroyers from the John C. Stennis carrier strike group are currently underway honing their surface, anti-submarine, anti-air and information warfare skills before starting the integrated phase of training with the CSG. Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG
French Navy frigate FS La Fayette seized over 400 kilos of heroin from a dhow it intercepted in the Indian Ocean in an operation on April 11. The drugs were intercepted after La Fayette’s Panther helicopter detected a suspicious vessel while on a routine surveillance in the international waters of t
Luerssen Australia has granted a contract to L3 Technologies for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) SEA 1180 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). L3 Communications Australia is to provide the integrated communications, bridge, navigation and platform management systems for all twelve OPV platforms. “L3’s
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $27 million cost-plus-award fee contract from the US Navy for follow yard services in the navy’s USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) program. The contract, which provides liaison and technical support, engineering, design and configu
Civmec has been awarded a contract from Luerssen Australia in relation to the SEA1180 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) project. As informed, the awarded scope includes the supply and processing of steel for all twelve vessels to be built for the Royal Australian Navy. The construction of the first vesse
BHIC Defence Techservices Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Berhad, announced it has finalized a contract with the Malaysian defense ministry for the upgrade of Lekiu-class frigate communication suites. The RM19,500,000 (approx. US$5 million) contract was signed on Febru
The Coast Guard Cutter Edisto (WPB 1313) was decommissioned after more than 30 years of service during a ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego on April 13. Edisto is one of the USCG’s 38 remaining 110-foot Island Class patrol boats being replaced by the Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutter,
Two US Navy destroyers deployed as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) kicked off their 2018 deployment with a live-fire missile exercise. USS Farragut (DDG 99) and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) executed a variety of scenarios simulating a complex warfighting environment, includ
Ships from Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) wrapped up historical ordinance disposal operations (HODOPS) with the French Navy entering Saint Malo, France, for a port visit on April 15. During the HODOPS, SNMCMG1 surveyed more than 90 square kilometers in Dieppe Bight, on the Fr
US, French and UK forces launched strikes on Syrian chemical facilities in the morning hours of April 14 in response to chemical attacks used by the Syrian government early April. US guided missile destroyer USS Higgins and USS Laboon, guided missile cruiser USS Monterey and Virginia-class submarine
Spain and Saudi Arabia have finalized a framework agreement which will see Spanish shipbuilder Navantia deliver five Avante 2200 corvettes for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF). The deal, signed during Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s official visit to Spain, is worth around €2 bil
The US Navy will christen its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Indianapolis (LCS 17), in Marinette, Wisconsin, on April 14. The future USS Indianapolis, built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, will be the fourth ship to bear the name of Indiana’s capital city. “The future USS Indianap
US Navy littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS 9) finally reached her homeport in Mayport, Florida, after spending over three months in Montreal, Canada, trapped by ice. The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship reached its homeport on April 12, for the first time since she was commissioned on Dec
