The US-led live-fire integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) exercise Formidable Shield 2017 got underway on Sunday at the UK’s Hebrides Range in the vicinity of the Western Isles of Scotland. More than 14 ships, 10 aircraft, and approximately 3,300 personnel from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, t
French shipbuilder Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS) delivered the first Gowind 2500 corvette to the Egyptian Navy on Friday, September 22. The ceremony took place in Lorient in the presence of Admiral Ahmed Khaled, commander in chief of the Egyptian Navy, Hervé Guillou, president and CEO of Nava
Israel Shipyards has launched a new 62-meter offshore patrol vessel built for the Cypriot Navy. The launch took place last week at the company’s shipyard in Haifa Bay in Israel. The vessel will be used to protect the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). “The project is of great importance for the
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond assumed command of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 operating in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The ceremony, in which Diamond relieved sister ship HMS Duncan, took place in Montenegro over the weekend. Duncan was originally to be replaced by helicopter c
Russian Navy cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the world’s only nuclear-powered cruiser, recently performed a test-firing of its Granit anti-ship missile during a mayor Northern Fleet drill. Taking place in the Barents Sea, the training exercise gathered over 20 combat ships, some 10 submarines and up to 30 ai
Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montréal arrived in Western Europe on September 18 for three months of exercises with European and NATO partners. Deploying as part of the Royal Canadian Navy’s overarching deployment Neptune Trident 17-02, HMCS Montréal is to take part in the US-led ballistic missil
Over 50 vessels and 20 aircraft were at sea off the coast of Sweden taking part in the international exercise Northern Coasts which started on September 8. NOCO 2017 is an exercise that focuses on increasing the navies’ ability to operate together during war and crisis management situations. The exe
NRP Setubal, the fourth Portuguese Navy Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), was launched on September 13 at West Sea Shipyards. The vessel is expected to join the navy by June 2018 replacing one of the remaining Baptista de Andrade or João Coutinho-class corvettes. West Sea Shipyard
Chinese and Russian Navy ships are scheduled to start the second round of bilateral drills as part of the “Naval Interaction 2017” set of engagements between the two countries. Taking place near Russian Pacific Fleet base in Vladivostok, the exercises are planned to last from September 18 to 26. Acc
The German defense procurement agency BAAINBw has authorized a €2.4 billion contract for the construction of five new Braunschweig-class (K130) corvettes. The ARGE K130 consortium, composed of Lürssen Werft, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the recently incorporated German Naval Yards Kiel, will be d
British shipbuilder Babcock has unveiled a new frigate design that will be offered as a design for the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate. Arrowhead, as the design is named is a 120 meter general-purpose frigate Babcock believes it can build for the Royal Navy under the £250 million price limit set by the
The Philippine Navy’s two new frigates, currently under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, are to be fitted with torpedo launcher systems (TLS) delivered by British company SEA. Announcing the contract on September 11, the company said the systems will be similar to those in se
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond stepped in for helicopter carrier HMS Ocean as NATO flagship to allow the Royal Navy fleet flagship to bring vital supplies to Caribbean areas affected by Hurricane Irma The fleet flagship HMS Ocean was originally planned to lead NATO’s Standing Maritime Gr
The Duchess of Rothesay today pressed a button to formally name the UK’s second new carrier. The ship’s sponsor – better known south of the border as the Duchess of Cornwall – triggered the launch of a ten-year-old bottle of whisky from the Laphroaig distillery on the Isle of Islay and 65,000-tonne
