French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday authorized shipbuilder DCNS to start the construction of five FTI (Fregate de Taille Intermediaire) medium-size frigates for the French Navy. The 4,000-tonne front-line frigates, equipped for anti-submarine warfare with widened self-defence and
The Indian Navy announced it has carried out a maiden firing of the land attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This missile has been in service with the Indian Army since 2007 but this is the first launch of the missile from an Indian Navy ship. The navy said BrahMos was fired fro
The German Navy recently shared a video of its giant 7,000-ton frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg conducting further firing tests. This is the second video of the lead ship of a new class of F 125 frigates firing its weapons in the North Sea’s Helgoland shooting range. The previous one showed the Baden-W
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded missile manufacturer MBDA a total of £539 million worth of contracts for delivery of new and service of existing missiles in the UK armed forces. More specifically, the contract will see MBDA deliver the Meteor air-to-air missiles for the F-35B jets that will o
Works on the Royal Navy’s fifth follow-on River-class offshore patrol vessel began with a steel cutting ceremony on Friday, April 21. Tony Douglas, head of UK’s defense procurement organisation, pressed the button to cut the first sheet of steel for the HMS Spey at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Sco
The U.S. Coast Guard received its 23rd fast response cutter (FRC), Benjamin Dailey, in a ceremony in Key West, Florida, on April 20. The Bollinger Shipyards-built FRC will be stationed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is scheduled for commissioning in July. The cutter will be the first FRC stationed
A South Korean Navy ship already patrolling the Horn of Africa as part of an EU-led task force was sent to participate in an international anti-piracy drill that took place in the Gulf of Aden. The Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong joined U.S., Japanese and Royal Navy warships i
U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) made a stop in Haakonsvern, Norway, en route to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. The cruiser arrived in Norway on April 20 after departing its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, March 27. “Port visits such as this are unco
The Italian Navy received its sixth FREMM frigate from Fincantieri during a ceremony held at the shipbuilder’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard on April 20. The Carlo Bergamini-class frigate Luigi Rizzo is the second general-purpose variant with the previous four vessels being built for the anti-submar
Germany’s accelerated acquisition of five additional K130 corvettes could get stalled following a report that shipbuilders Lürssen and Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems set the price too high. The shipbuilding duo is asking €2.9 billion for the five corvettes and two training facilities for corvette-oper
Admiral Makarov, the third Project 11356 frigate built for the Russian Navy at the Yantar shipyard, is currently being tested before being delivered to the navy. The frigate was launched in September 2015 and recently took to sea for the final phase of the navy’s acceptance trials. Admiral Makarov p
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is cleared for flight operations after the ship and her carrier air wing completed the blue water certification as part of the composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX). Blue water certification is one of the final qualifications a carrier and associa
The UK Ministry of Defense has announced a new £1.4 billion contract for the construction of the Royal Navy’s sixth Astute-class submarine. Named HMS Agamemnon, the submarine is the sixth of overall seven boats to be built for the Royal Navy. The nuclear-powered submarines are being built by BAE Sys
German Navy frigate and current flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 – FGS Brandenburg – ran aground on Monday morning while departing the port of Piraeus, Greece. The frigate collided with a jetty and sustained considerable damage. According to German media, FGS Brandenburg damaged her rudd
