The Canadian Coast Guard is to join the navy in operating arctic and offshore patrol ships (AOPS) after the government awarded a two-ship contract to Halifax-based shipbuilder Irving Shipbuilding. Irving is already building six AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy, with the first unit in the class, the
South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries launched the Philippine Navy’s future frigate BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) at its shipyard on March 23. BRP Jose Rizal is the first of two 2,600-ton units built under the Frigate Acquisition Project (FAP) after a contract was signed in 2016. The future BR
INS Magen, the first of four Israeli Navy Sa’ar 6 corvettes, has been officially named in Germany. The ceremony took place at the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems yard in Kiel on May 23. The ship was named by Eti Sharvit, wife of Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit, Chief of the Israeli Navy, in presence of high-le
Ships from the navies of Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States arrived in Guam, May 22, to take part in the first ever cooperative maritime training exercise called Pacific Vanguard. Pacific Vanguard brings together more than 3,000 sailors from four Indo-Pacific nations to sharpe
The US Navy has established a new squadron that will be in charge of integrating unmanned surface vessels (USV) and support fleet experimentation to accelerate delivery of new warfighting concepts and capabilities to the fleet. The new squadron has been re-designated from Zumwalt Squadron ONE (ZRON
The Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium, composed of Naval Group and ECA Group, officially received a contract for the construction of twelve mine-hunting vessels for the navies of the Netherlands and Belgium. As revealed, the 12 ships will be equipped with some 100 drones, clustered in ten mission
The US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) got underway from Yokosuka, Japan, on May 22, to start a deployment to the Indo-Pacific. The carrier deployed with supporting Commander Task Force 70 units for routine operations in the region. “Forward presence truly matters
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is afloat again after completing its first docking and maintenance period at Babcock’s Rosyth site. After the planned six-week work package was successfully delivered, the aircraft carrier departed Rosyth through the specially designed roller-fender sy
The Lithuanian-led historical ordnance disposal operation Open Spirit 2019 concluded on May 16 after two weeks of maneuvers. Open Spirit is an international maritime operation led on a rotating basis by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The Lithuanian Navy led the operation in 2019 in coordination with
The 9-nation live-fire integrated air and missile defense exercise Formidable Shield 2019 concluded at the UK defense ministry’s Hebrides Range off Scotland on May 19. The US-led drill helped allies hone interoperability in defending against missiles but it also saw Canadian and French Navy ships ac
Royal Navy amphibious transport dock HMS Albion has deployed to the Baltic Sea where it will lead a multinational task group as part of a UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). All three service branches of the UK armed forces will take part in the first JEF maritime deployment, which started as HM
US Navy guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111) and USS Stockdale (DDG 106) returned to their San Diego homeport after operations with the John C. Stennis carrier strike group in the Asia Pacific and Middle East. The destroyers, including detachments from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron
The UK defense ministry has approved an engine order for the second batch of Royal Navy Type 26 frigates, securing the immediate future of the General Electric’s Rugby site. The contract is important because GE had previously announced the site’s closure with its work being moved to Nancy in France
The US State Department has approved sales of MK 54 lightweight torpedoes to the Royal Canadian Navy and SM-2 Block IIIB Standard missiles to the Republic of Korea Navy. The potential sale of lightweight torpedoes to Canada would be worth an estimated $387 million. A total 425 MK 54 lightweight torp
