US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook and ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) entered the Black Sea on February 19. Donald Cook entered the Black Sea after last visiting the region in January 2019, when it visited Batumi, Georgia and con
NATO-led exercise Dynamic Guard concluded off the coast on February 15. Ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG 1), commanded by U.S. Rear Adm. Edward Cashman, were joined by other ally units in the region for ten days of evolutions. The exercise is executed concurrently with Norwegian led
The Italian Navy recently used the new Leonardo-developed M-40 target drones in an exercise involving the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and Durand de la Penne-class destroyer ITS Francesco Mimbelli. The exercise saw the aircraft carrier and its complement of AV8B+ fighter aircraft training alongside t
A Royal Australian Navy task group composed of landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra, frigate HMAS Newcastle, and tanker HMAS Sirius, departed Sydney Harbour on February 17 to start a series of exercises and engagements with regional allies. The task group will spend the next several weeks participa
The US Navy’s 15th littoral combat ship – USS Tulsa (LCS 16) – was commissioned as the Navy’s newest surface combatant in a ceremony in San Francisco on February 16. The Independence-variant LCS is the Navy’s second ship to be named for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The ship has progressed from its k
The Australian defense ministry has selected Raytheon Australia to act as the country’s Aegis systems integration agent. Defense minister Christopher Pyne announced that the ministry issued a limited request for tender to Raytheon to establish a deed of standing offer under which Raytheon Australia
French shipbuilder Naval Group on Thursday announced it is starting work on the Argentine Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPV), thereby officially confirming the four-ship contract with the South American country. As outlined by the shipbuilder, the first patrol boat to be delivered will be the L’Adro
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, for a scheduled training and maintenance availability (TRAV) on February 13. The maintenance is being conducted after the ship completed a patrol in the US 6th Fleet Area of Operations.
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) are currently underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, taking part in what the NATO Maritime Command describes as advanced Force Integration Training (FIT). The drills are being conducted as part of the group’s patrols in the region. Composed o
The US Navy’s future Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) concluded acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico on February 8, following a series of in-port and underway demonstrations for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey. Acceptance trials are the last significant mi
German Navy F122 frigate FGS Augsburg will return to her Wilhelmshaven homeport on Friday, Februrary 15, concluding her final operational deployment. The frigate is one of only two ships in her class and is scheduled to retire this year after 30 years of service. In addition to concluding her final
The wreck of US Navy’s World War II aircraft carrier USS Hornet was discovered on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean around the Solomon Islands in late January 2019. Hornet was found 5,400 meters (nearly 17,500 feet) below the surface, by the expedition crew of Paul G. Allen’s research vessel (R/V
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded BAE Systems a $114.5 million contract for the maintenance and modernization of guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) at its Norfolk shipyard. The value of the competitively awarded contract could reach $136.2 million if all options are exercised.
An unidentified US Navy Los Angeles-class attack submarine is set to take part in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Submarine Competition (SUBCOMP) exercise in waters south of Japan. The seven-day drill starts February 13. SUBCOMP is designed to evaluate and test Japanese crews across mu
