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
The Royal Australian Navy’s third Hobart-class air warfare destroyer Sydney is set to enter operations a year earlier than originally planned following an accelerated capability upgrade. As explained, the defense ministry was able to streamline a technical upgrade to the ship during its build at the
The US Coast Guard commissioned its 31st fast response cutter in a March 22 ceremony in San Pedro, California. Cutter Terrell Horne (WPC-1131) is the third FRC to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach and will operate throughout the 11th Coast Guard District, which includes all of
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
US Navy ships from the Japan-based US 7th Fleet took part in what the navy termed the most advanced tactical training necessary for blue water combat. For the first time ever, three guided missile destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, and two amphibious ships of the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces com
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
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
The keel for the lead ship in the new class of Royal Australian Navy Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel has officially been constructed, Australia’s defense minister has announced. More than 50 tonnes of Australian steel has been assembled at Osborne Naval Shipyard, satisfying the contractual requ
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
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
US Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf pulled into Sasebo, Japan, earlier this month after supporting the enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) sanctions on North Korea. Bertholf was tasked with preventing illicit ship-to-ship transfers that violate North Korea sanctions. The pa
The US Navy’s fifth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient, Hospital Corpsman Master Chief William Charette, US Navy secretary Richard V. Spencer has announced. Charette, a native of Ludington, Michigan, joined the Navy in 1951 and served in the K
US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55 and commercial shipping industry representatives joined forces recently to complete exercise Lucky Mariner 19. The annual exercise concluded March 15 and was led by the task force’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) detachment designed to exercise comma
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
