Surface Vessels
Italian Navy’s eighth FREMM frigate takes to sea
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate Antonio Marceglia has been taken to sea in the Gulf of La Spezia for the first time, Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) said. During its first time at sea on June 19, 2018, several platform and combat system elements installed onboard were set up, t
Truman returns to sea after France visit
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) returned to operations after concluding a four-day port visit to Marseille, France, on June 25. While in Marseille, Truman sailors welcomed more than 150 French guests aboard for a reception, June 23, including US Ambassador to the French Republi
Russian Navy commissions 2nd Project 18280 ship Ivan Khurs
The Russian Navy has commissioned Ivan Khurs, the navy’s second Project 18280 intelligence-gathering ship. The commissioning ceremony for the newbuilding was held at St. Petersburg’s Severnaya Verft shipyard on June 25, 2018. The vessel, designed to provide signals intelligence (SIGINT), electronic
Three Italian warships start swan song deployment
Three Italian Navy warships, with 85 years of service between them, embarked on their final “deployment” before they bow out of active navy service in a ceremony scheduled for July 16. Aside from the task of training navy cadets, the deployment will be more of a tour of Tyrrhenian Sea port cities, a
NATO ASW drill Dynamic Mongoose gets underway off Norway
NATO’s second annual anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose kicked off on Monday off the coast of Norway. The Norway-hosted Norwegian Sea exercise follows its Mediterranean counterpart – Dynamic Manta – which took place off Italy in March. Dynamic Mongoose will be taking place from June 25
Royal Navy frigate escorts Russian corvettes through the Channel
Royal Navy’s Type 23 HMS Montrose escorted two Russian warships through the English Channel as they transited towards the Mediterranean Sea. The Plymouth-based frigate sailed up the Channel to meet with corvettes RFS Boikiy and Stoikiy as the Russian vessels sortied from their base in the Baltic and
Fincantieri launches Italian Navy logistic support ship ‘Vulcano’
The Italian Navy’s LSS logistic support ship Vulcano was launched in a June 22 ceremony at Fincantieri’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard. The ceremony was attended by Italian Minister of Defence, Elisabetta Trenta, the Chief of Defense, General Claudio Graziano, and the Chief of the Navy, Admiral Valt
SM-2 missile fails to launch after booster burns out inside German air defense frigate VLS
A Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) failed to leave the MK. 41 vertical launch system after the rocket booster burned out while the missile was still inside its canister during a live-firing drill conducted by German air defense frigate FGS Sachsen. Nobody was hurt during the accident, the German Navy said
European Maritime Force shapes up for Portuguese drill Swordfish 2018
Warships from Italy, France, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain gathered in the Portuguese port of Lisbon on June 18 for the activation of the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR). The non-standing force was activated after a meeting of the political-military working group of EUROMARFOR concluded in
USS Farragut forced into maintenance in Norway
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class USS Farragut (DDG 99) was underway as part of the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group when a cooling fan failure forced the US Navy to carry out underway repairs on the destroyer in Norway. USS Farragut was scheduled to take part in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exer
HMS Queen Elizabeth aces first refueling at sea
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has recently completed her first ever operational refueling at sea. After a dry run earlier in the year, HMS Queen Elizabeth now successfully took on fuel from RFA Tidespring, another brand new ship purposely built to support the two new aircraft carri
Atlas Elektronik, Thales to deliver combat systems for new German K130 corvettes
German maritime technology firm Atlas Elektronik and Thales Deutschland have been contracted to deliver combat systems for the five new K130 corvettes that are to be built for the German Navy. In addition to combat systems, the contract will see the two companies set up and deliver a test and traini
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Brocklesby starts two-year Gulf deployment
Royal Navy’s Portsmouth based minehunter HMS Brocklesby left her homeport June 19 to start a 6,000-mile journey to Bahrain, to take over from her sister ship HMS Middleton. The Hunt-class minehunter will form part of a four-strong permanent minehunter presence in the Gulf, working alongside coalitio
Rheinmetall to upgrade decoy systems on Canadian Halifax-class frigates
German-based defense contractor Rheinmetall Defence has been awarded a follow-on contract to upgrade the MASS countermeasure systems it previously installed on Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigates. The existing Multi Ammunition Softkill System automated decoy system will be upgraded under a contract