Surface Vessels
Brazil selects Germany’s MEKO design for new Tamandaré corvettes
The Brazilian defense ministry has selected the Águas Azuis Consortium as the preferred bidder for the construction of the Brazilian Navy’s Tamandaré-class corvettes. The consortium, formed by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and Atech, will build a total of four ships under t
Royal Navy landing ship joins US Navy minehunting drill off Virginia
Royal Navy auxiliary landing ship dock RFA Mounts Bay served as the test bed for a mobile US Navy minehunting force during a recent test off the coast of Virginia. The test included helicopters, divers, remote-controlled boats and automated surveying machines and was intended to see whether a task f
Thales establishing UK office to develop Tacticos for Type 31 frigates
France-based defense contractor Thales is opening a UK office for work on the Royal Navy’s future Type 31 frigate program. The company said it would be joining the Babcock-led team which is proposing the Arrowhead design for the new class of general-purpose frigates for the Royal Navy. Should the Ar
Royal Navy frigate joining NATO’s SNMG1
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster got underway from Portsmouth to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) for a deployment to northern Europe and the Baltic. The Duke-class frigate is scheduled to conduct exercises within her task group as well as a variety of port visits that wil
Fourth Royal Navy OPV named in Glasgow ceremony
The Royal Navy held an official naming ceremony for HMS Tamar, the fourth of overall five new Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels being built. The OPV naming ceremony took place in the shipyard in Glasgow where she and her sisters were built. The 90-meter ship is equipped with a 30mm cannon
NATO maritime groups visit Plymouth
Ship from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG) 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasure Group One (SNMCMG) 1 completed a scheduled port visit to Plymouth, England, before taking part in an eight-ship maneuver off the UK coast. SNMG-1 and SNMCMG-1 staff took advantage of time in port by having forc
Italy starts construction of first fully-configured PPA ship
Construction on the fourth Italian Navy Multipurpose Patrol Ship (PPA) kicked off with a steel-cutting ceremony at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso Shipyard in Genoa on March 14. While being the fourth in its class, this ship will be the first in the “full” configuration, meaning it will be equipped with
HMS Montrose heads to Bahrain after operations in Japan
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose bid farewell to Japan after a two-week stay which included exercises and a port visit. Montrose spent six days in Tokyo, berthed just three miles from the city center alongside her host, Japanese destroyer Murasame, whose crew introduced the Brits to Japanese cooking
Spain mulling purchase of US assault amphibious vehicles
Spain could buy BAE Systems-built assault amphibious vehicles(AAV) following a US State Department approval for the possible sale of 11 AAVs to the European country. As outlined in the approval, announced on March 15, Spain is looking to buy 11 AAVs in three different configurations under a deal tha
France’s Naval Group clinches Belgian-Dutch minehunter replacement contract
Belgium has chosen a consortium led by France’s Naval Group for the construction of 12 new minehunters for the navies of Belgium and the Netherlands. Belgium Naval & Robotics, as the consortium made up of Naval Group and ECA Robotics is named, will build the minehunters and their drone systems under
Royal Navy’s oldest frigate returns from nine-month Asia Pacific deployment
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll returned to her homeport at HMNB Devonport, completing a nine-month deployment to Asia Pacific. The service’s oldest frigate deployed to Asia on June 18, 2018, and sailed all the way to Japan for drills with Japanese and US Navy units. The warship covered the
Second River-class OPV Medway handed over to Royal Navy
The White Ensign was raised for the first time on the second of five Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels, HMS Medway, as BAE Systems handed the ship over to the Royal Navy. Medway was handed over as the crew of lead ship HMS Forth are in the final stages to resume trials and training, [&hell
US destroyer Donald Cook completes eighth European patrol
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, after completing its eighth forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol of Europe and Africa. Donald Cook began its patrol Nov. 17, 2018 to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fl
Babcock completes 10-month overhaul of Royal Navy minehunter HMS Penzance
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Penzance has completed a 10-month overhaul at Babcock’s Rosyth site in Fife, the defense contractor has announced. The refit included the replacement of both main engines, multiple glass reinforced plastic (GRP) repairs and addition and alteration packages. A team of over 5