The F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) is preparing to embark two F-35Bs on board the United Kingdom’s newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth for first of class flight trials (fixed wing) this fall. Nearly 200 ITF personnel—active duty US and UK military, US Department of Defense (
The US Navy’s Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) and the Royal Canadian Navy concluded three days of bilateral operations in the North Atlantic on September 12. The multi-day event, under the direction of US Northern Command’s Navy Component Command, US Navy North, was comprised of traini
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) guided missile destroyer JS Atago (DDG-177) has successfully intercepted and destroyed a US ballistic missile in a test conducted off the coast of Kauai in Hawaii. The test was supported by JMSDF and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in coop
The US Navy’s Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) and the Royal Canadian Navy are conducting bilateral operations in the North Atlantic from September 10 to 12. Commander, US Second Fleet, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis embarked the strike group flagship, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and the USS
US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) welcomed a new commanding officer during a change of command ceremony held in the ship’s hangar bay on September 10. After serving more than two years as commanding officer of the ship, Capt. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly was relieved
The United States Coast Guard cutter Resolute (WMEC 620) returned home to St. Petersburg on September 9 following a 59-day patrol. Resolute crew members patrolled more than 11,000 miles, providing a law enforcement presence in the Windward Passage in the Caribbean Sea and deterring illegal migrant d
American technology company Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) has completed the critical design review (CDR) phase of the US Navy’s WSN-12 inertial sensor module and will begin production of ten pre-production units. The WSN-12 is poised to become the primary shipboard inertial navigation system fo
An illicit weapons shipment containing 2,521 AK-47 automatic rifles was seized by USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) on August 28, the US Navy confirmed. As Naval Today earlier reported, the weapons were found aboard an unflagged dhow in the Gulf of Aden. As informed, the full count follows an initial estim
The US authorities have seized a vessel loaded down with over 2,880 pounds of cocaine and detained six suspected drug runners off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. On August 19, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrews with interagency partners detected the vessel
Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has reached the United States for planned F-35B flight trials. On September 5, the 65,000-ton ship arrived at Mayport Florida for its first port call on Westland18 to re-supply before beginning final preparations for F-35B when she will land fast jet
The US polar icebreaking program needs to address risks before committing resources, the country’s Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its recent report. The US Coast Guard (USCG) and Navy are planning to invest up to $9.8 billion to build and maintain three heavy polar icebreakers to con
Spanish Naval Station Rota personnel and sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and USS Porter (DDG 78) conducted and completed their third annual major integrated fire drill onboard the Cook on August 29, 2018. “This whole exercise is called the Chapter 13 drill.
Coast Guard cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) returned on September 4 to her homeport in Alameda following a nearly 90-day deployment to the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. There, Bertholf crewmembers participated in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2018 which is said to be the world’s largest multi-n
Austal USA has delivered its ninth Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS) to the US Navy. The future USS Charleston (LCS 18) is the third Austal designed and built LCS delivered to the navy this year and will be the fourteenth to enter the fleet. The newbuilding completed its acceptance trial
