The wings of the Royal Marines are ready for action with their French counterparts after a month’s training aboard the FS Mistral. Two Merlins from 845 NAS are assigned to the assault ship throughout her six-month deployment to the Indian and Pacific Oceans – the first time the green Merlins have go
UK defense contractor Babcock has been selected to become marine systems support partner (MSSP) for the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class (QEC) aircraft carriers and Type 45 destroyers. The company said it was selected as preferred bidder for all four elements of a Ministry of Defence program t
Warships from eight nations arrived in Greece for the annual exercise Ariadne which will be taking place from March 31 to April 7. In addition to ships, naval officers from some ten countries will be attending the exercise in the Ionian Sea in the Gulf of Patras. NATO ships from the Standing Mine Co
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia launched the Spanish Navy’s fifth BAM (Buque de Acción Marítima) ship on March 30 at its Cadiz-San Fernando shipyard. Named Audaz, (which translates to bold or audacious) the modular offshore patrol vessel is the fifth of overall nine units the Spanish Navy plans to acqu
The Australian government on Friday released the Request for Tender (RFT) for the Royal Australian Navy’s $35 billion Future Frigate project. The RFT was issued to the three shortlisted designers: British BAE Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri and Spain’s Navantia. Minister for Defence Industry, Christoph
A new flight simulator for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft is now ready to help prepare pilots to take the real aircraft on flight trials on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth next year. The simulator will test pilots’ skills to the limits as they practise landing on the deck
The UK Ministry of Defence has offered amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean for sale to the Brazilian Navy, the media in the South American country wrote. The UK Defence Journal first noted the reports which said the price of the helicopter carrier was deemed “reasonable” by Brazilian officials. Follow
Over 30 ships and submarines are taking part in the UK-hosted bi-annual exercise Joint Warrior over the course of next two weeks. Around 13,000 soldiers and sailors from 13 nations will hone their warfighting capabilities from March 26 to April 6. Among the participants are ships from Standing NATO
Italian Navy’s Maestrale-class frigate ITS Espero has joined the EU’s counter piracy mission off the coast of Somalia. ITS Espero was welcomed to the counter-piracy task force on Saturday, March 25. Led by Commander Luigi Pirozzi, ITS Espero’s sailors and marines prepared for their mission with oper
Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Wave Knight was leaving the Dutch Antilles territory of Curacao recently when she completed a replenishment at sea (RAS) in the Caribbean Sea with the Royal Netherlands Navy’s multi-purpose frigate, HNLMS Van Amstel. The maneuver was a return to basics for Wave Knight as
Royal Navy’s current flagship, HMS Ocean, wrapped up an eventful six-month deployment to the Middle East and returned to HMNB Devonport, Plymouth on March 24. During her deployment, HMS Ocean became the first UK warship to lead the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s Task Force (CTF) 50 in the Arabi
Despite being the oldest operational ship in the Royal Navy with 36 years of service, minehunter HMS Ledbury is preparing to embark on a three-year deployment to the Persian Gulf. To prove she and her 45-strong ship’s company are ready for the 7,300-mile sea journey from Portsmouth to Bahrain, home
The first of four Egyptian Navy’s Gowind 2500 corvettes, ENS El-Fateh, started its sea trials on March 13, French shipbuilder DCNS announced. DCNS also released a video showing the corvette leaving the shipyard in Lorient to start its trials. According to French news site Mer et Marine, the vessel w
Turkish shipbuilder STM said it has offered its solutions for the Colombian Navy’s Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate acquisition program at the Colombiamar 2017 trade fair and congress. Colombia plans to acquire four frigates under the PES program to replace the existing Almirante P
