Surface Vessels
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond deploys to the Mediterranean
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond got underway from Portsmouth on September 29 for maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea. The Type 45 destroyer will provide reassurance to allies in the region throughout the autumn. The deployment follows a busy few months for HMS Diamond and her crew
German Navy corvette returning from Lebanon mission
The lead ship of the German Navy’s K130 corvettes, the FGS Braunschweig, is returning from a five-month mission in Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The corvette, manned by the “Charlie” crew, is scheduled to return to her homeport in Warnemünde on October 5. C
F-35Bs land on HMS Queen Elizabeth for first time ever
The UK has once again joined the club of aircraft carrier operating nations as first F-35Bs landed on the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth. Royal Navy Commander Nathan Gray and RAF Squadron Leader Andy Edgell were the first pilots to make history by landing their F-35 Lightning stealth jets on the
French frigate seizes 7 tons of hashish in Indian Ocean
French Navy frigate FS Floreal has seized over 7 tons of hashish from two dhows in the Indian Ocean on September 23 and 24. According to Combined Maritime Forces, the drugs are valued at $3.5m, based on street values in Yemen, which was the expected destination for the hashish. This is the most sign
Sea Guardian special ops unit achieves full operational capability
NATO’s operation Sea Guardian Special Operations Command Control Element (SOCCE) achieved full operational capability last week, NATO’s Maritime Command has announced. On September 20, under Maritime Command (MARCOM) guidance and SOCCE control, an opposed live boarding exercise commenced with the pa
Polish sailors make use of Royal Navy training facilities
Polish Navy sailors assigned to frigate ORP Generał Kazimierz Pułaski recently used facilities at the Royal Navy training establishment HMS Raleigh ahead of their operational sea training. The former Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate is in Plymouth for six weeks of training with Flag Officer Sea Tra
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
Hellennic Navy-hosted exercise NAIAS 2018 concludes in Aegean Sea
The biennial multinational naval exercise NAIAS 2018 came to a close on September 21, after a week of maneuvers in the Aegean Sea. Participating units trained in multi-threat warfare events, including anti-asymmetric warfare, maritime interdiction and counter-terrorist events. The scenario of NAIAS
French Naval Group to pitch its OPV90 for Azerbaijani Navy at ADEX 2018
French shipbuilder Naval Group announced it will showcase its Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) 90 at ADEX 2018 exhibition taking place in Azerbaijan this week. According to local media reports, Azerbaijan’s defense officials have started talks with a number of French defense contractors regarding the ac
Royal Navy buying Teledyne-built SEAL delivery vehicles
The US State Department has approved the sale of three SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDV) MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles (SWCS) to the United Kingdom. The contract is worth an estimated $90 million and includes spares, handling and test equipment, and program support. According to the statement,
Sailors injured in fire aboard German Navy frigate in Baltic Sea
A fire broke out aboard the German Navy frigate FGS Schleswig-Holstein while the ship was underway in the Baltic Sea on September 17. While the fire was quickly brought under control by the ship’s crew, ten sailors were injured after inhaling smoke. According to the German Navy, the fire broke out i
Poland cuts steel for second Kormoran II-class minehunter
Poland’s Remontowa Shipbuilding held a steel-cutting ceremony for the second Kormoran II-class minehunter for the Polish Navy at its Gdansk site on September 18. The steel-cutting ceremony comes ten months after the lead ship in the class – ORP ‘Kormoran – entered service. The first of the additiona
After short deployment pause, USS Harry S. Truman returns to US 6th Fleet operations
US Navy aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman has resumed operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations after returning to its Norfolk home in July for a month-long deployment pause. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) initially deployed to the European theater April 11, 2018, and returned
Rolls-Royce opens F-35B LiftFan production site in UK
A facility for the manufacturing of LiftFan systems for F-35B jets has been ceremonially opened by UK defense minister Stuart Andrew at Rolls-Royce in Bristol today. Production at the site has been building up since 2009, with the official opening now marking the fact that the facility is heading to