The US Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Eight (HSC 28) used the Baltic Sea exercise BALTOPS to test the service’s new Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) and Airborne Mine Neutralization System – Archerfish (AMNS-AF) in the region. “You should not underestimate the significance of
50 surface ships, 36 aircraft, two submarines, and 8,600 personnel are to take part in exercises.
US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) met up with the task group assembled around French Navy aircraft carrier, FS Charles de Gaulle (R 91), for a series of exercises in the Andaman Sea on June 7. FS Charles de Gaulle was accompanied by French anti-submarine destroyer FS Latouche Trevill
German Navy Type 212 submarine U36 is set to return to its Eckernförde homeport on Friday after almost five months of operations. The U36 operated out of Norway where it strengthened bonds with the Royal Norwegian Navy, which will soon receive its own Type 212 CD submarines. “The decision to base U3
Once the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth starts operations in 2021, it will be made available to deploy as part of NATO’s Readiness Initiative. The UK prime minister announced on May 4 that the first of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, together with the F-35 fighte
Marines from a number of European countries raided the coast of Denmark for the conclusion of first stage of the two-month Baltic Sea maneuver Baltic Protector. British Royal Marines and their Dutch counterparts waged a battle around the towns of Esbjerg and Varde in western Denmark, taking on Danis
The Italian Navy-hosted mine countermeasure exercise MINEX 2019 concluded off the coast of Sicily on May 30 after 10 days of evolutions. In addition to Italian and Spanish MCM assets, the exercise was joined by NATO’s Standing Mine Counter Measures Group Two (SNMCMG2). The exercise was aimed at prac
The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) has completed a series of tactical air defense and fighter control exercises with Portuguese Navy and Air Force counterparts. The exercises were conducted off the coast of Portugal on May 27, 2019. The drill began with Ross
The US Navy’s 2nd Fleet has declared the command has achieved initial operational capability (IOC), less than one year after being re-established by senior military leaders and just in time to lead one of the largest exercises in the Baltics. The IOC was declared on May 29, in an announcement by Vic
A nine-ship task group has gathered off the Danish coast to start operations as part of a UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force. The group will work together in the first act of the two-month-long Operation Baltic Protector, designed to demonstrate the resolve of the UK, its allies and nations in the reg
France is speeding up its helicopter program that will see one platform replace five legacy helicopters across the three branches of the country’s armed forces. In an announcement on May 27, French defense minister Florence Parly announced that the launch of the Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère I
The Italian Navy’s new landing helicopter dock (LHD) Trieste was launched in a ceremony at Fincantieri’s Castellammare di Stabia shipyard on May 25. The multirole and multipurpose amphibious vessel was launched in the presence of Italian president Sergio Mattarella and the Italian Navy chief Adm. Va
The Lithuanian-led historical ordnance disposal operation Open Spirit 2019 concluded on May 16 after two weeks of maneuvers. Open Spirit is an international maritime operation led on a rotating basis by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The Lithuanian Navy led the operation in 2019 in coordination with
The 9-nation live-fire integrated air and missile defense exercise Formidable Shield 2019 concluded at the UK defense ministry’s Hebrides Range off Scotland on May 19. The US-led drill helped allies hone interoperability in defending against missiles but it also saw Canadian and French Navy ships ac
