US Navy littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) started the underway operational testing phase of the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. The latest set of trials began June 15, off San Diego. The operations are a continuation of MQ-8C operational testing that began in April. This next phase is
Royal Navy’s Portsmouth based minehunter HMS Brocklesby left her homeport June 19 to start a 6,000-mile journey to Bahrain, to take over from her sister ship HMS Middleton. The Hunt-class minehunter will form part of a four-strong permanent minehunter presence in the Gulf, working alongside coalitio
The US Navy has deployed Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) to the US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) where it will support the multinational exchange Southern Seas 2018. This will be the first deployment for Gunston Hall since 2014. Southern
Personnel from the US and Royal Thai Navy completed the 24th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise in Pattaya, Thailand, June 21. CARAT Thailand 2018 involved over 3,000 military personnel from the US and Royal Thai Navy conducting nearly a dozen exercises at sea, over tw
German-based defense contractor Rheinmetall Defence has been awarded a follow-on contract to upgrade the MASS countermeasure systems it previously installed on Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigates. The existing Multi Ammunition Softkill System automated decoy system will be upgraded under a contract
The recently-commissioned US Navy littoral combat ship USS Manchester (LCS 14) arrived at her San Diego homeport on June 19, completing her maiden voyage from the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. The Independence variant LCS was commissioned in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, prior to her arrival
French Navy frigate FS Nivôse has seized over 250 kilograms from a suspected vessel in her first month of operations as part of the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150). The narcotics were seized in a June 8 operation in which the crew of Nivôse boarded and inspected a dhow off the coast of Somalia. The
Navy ships from the US, India and Japan have concluded the trilateral maritime exercise Malabar 2018 off the coast of Guam. The exercise ran from June 7 through June 16. While ashore in Guam, training included subject matter expert and professional exchanges, maritime patrol and reconnaissance opera
The Brazilian Navy is currently in the process of selecting the best bidder for its Tamandaré-class corvette acquisition project and has revealed the list of teams vying for the project in which Brazil is reportedly ready to invest US$1.6 billion. As revealed by the navy, the contender list includes
Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll became the third Royal Navy ship to deploy to Asia as she got underway from her Devonport Naval base on June 18. The frigate will be spending the next nine-months in Asia, sailing as far as Japan as part of a national push to strengthen military and diplomatic ties in [&he
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) got underway from its San Diego homeport on June 18 to take part in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. Carl Vinson is joining more than 50 surface ships and submarines, and re
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga is returning from a Middle East deployment which saw the crew seize over AU$2 billion of narcotics over the course of eight months. In total, the Australian warship intercepted 16 vessels carrying illicit narcotics, seizing a total of around 31.8 tonnes
Royal Navy mine hunter HMS Shoreham departed HM Naval Base Clyde on June 18 for a deployment to the Persian Gulf. The Sandown-class minehunter’s 40 crew started a 6,000 mile journey to the Gulf region from the Argyll and Bute base to take over from sister-ship HMS Bangor who has spent the past three
Dutch shipbuilder Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and Swedish defense contractor Saab announced they are joining forces to bid for the Brazilian Navy’s corvette acquisition project. Brazil issued a request for proposals for the construction of four new Tamandaré-class corvettes in December 2017. Un
