The Romanian defense ministry on January 11 announced it is suspending the tender for the procurement of four new multi-role corvettes and upgrades of two frigates currently in service with the Romanian Navy. As explained by the ministry, the procedure was put on hold until irregularities discovered
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat seized over 3.1 tons of hashish in the Arabian Sea during an operation that took place on January 8 and 9. The seized drugs are worth an estimated $155 million and are the first narcotics seized by a Combined Maritime Forces member in 2019. The fishing ves
US Navy ships from the Wasp amphibious ready group (ARG) met up with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) amphibious transport dock ship, JS Kunisaki (LST 4003), for two days of exercises on January 11 and 12. During the cooperative deployment, ARG ships and JS Kunisaki conducted communication
USS Wichita (LCS 13), the US Navy’s seventh Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, was brought to life during a commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Mayport on January 12. “The LCS, like your favorite mobile device, offers more portability and maneuverability, while being much less conspicuous,” s
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) departed Naval Station Rota, Spain resuming it’s eighth forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, January 12. Donald Cook was in Naval Station Rota for a training and maintenance
Shipbuilder Austal USA has received a $21 million contract from the US Department of Defense for support activities on the littoral combat ship (LCS) program. Austal will be the prime contractor for undertaking a dry docking of LCS 14 to carry out various support and sustainment activities. This awa
The Royal Navy will deploy Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose to Japan later this year, where the ship will contribute to the enforcement of UN sanctions on North Korea. Montrose will be the fourth British warship to visit Japan and operate in the region in the past 12 months. Fellow Plymouth-based frigat
A consortium of three German shipbuilders is scheduled to officially begin works on the first of five new K130 corvettes in February this year, the German Navy chief has announced. Speaking in Dobbin-Linstow on January 10, Vice Admiral Andreas Krause said the steel-cutting ceremony for the future FG
The UK defense ministry announced it has awarded Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard a £5 million contract for the first planned dry-dock maintenance of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. As announced by defense minister Stuart Andrew, the contract will allow the 65,000-tonne carrier to unde
The US Navy’s 79th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named after navy Vietnam veteran, Navy Cross recipient, and former US Senator from Alabama, Admiral Jeremiah Denton. “Admiral Denton’s legacy is an inspiration to all who wear our nation’s uniform,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spence
The US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has issued a request for information (RFI) calling on companies and academia to provide info on the development of an electrical Energy Magazine that would be used for directed energy weapons on navy ships. The RFI was issued on January 2 on behalf of PMS 32
Russian Navy ships and submarines are poised to be equipped with a new and improved Kalibr cruise missile that is currently under development, according to a Tass report. The upgraded missile will have a range of over 4,500 km, twice that of the current 3M-54 Kalibr cruise missile (NATO codename SS-
The US Navy is set to commission littoral combat ship, Wichita (LCS 13), in a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, this weekend. Wichita is the US Navy’s seventh Freedom-variant littoral combat ship and was delivered to the US Navy together with USS Sioux City (LCS 11) in August 2018. Sioux C
The Royal Thai Navy welcomed its first South Korean-built frigate in a ceremony at the Sattahip Naval Base on January 7. Named after the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the frigate was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s (DSME’s) under a US$410 million contract from August 2013. HTMS B
