Training & Education
Second large-scale naval drill in Baltic Sea kicks off
Over 40 vessels from NATO and ally countries gathered in Turku, Finland, to kick off a second major exercise in the Baltic Sea on October 25. The exercise is called Northern Coasts and is organized by Germany and hosted by a different Baltic Sea nation each year. It will run concurrent with Trident
Heavy seas damage US Navy ship ahead of NATO drill Trident Juncture
Two US Navy ships were forced to return to Reykjavik, Iceland, after amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) was damaged in heavy seas while en route to Norway and exercise Trident Juncture. The ship was damaged on October 22 and is currently in Iceland for further assessment. The nav
Euronaval 2018: MBDA unveils naval version of MMP
Missile systems developer MBDA has unveiled a navalized version of the MMP 5th generation ground combat missile at Euronaval. MDBA said the decision to introduce the system follows the operational evaluation campaign carried out at the end of the summer by the French armed forces in Djibouti to conf
Turkish Navy conducts another submarine SINKEX
A Turkish Navy Ay-class submarine sank a decommissioned navy vessel in the country’s second known sinking exercise (SINKEX) of 2018. The exercise took place last week in the Black Sea and follows a SINKEX which took place in June when Type 209/1200 submarine TCG Yildiray launched a wire-guided torpe
Bahrain-based Royal Navy minehunters visit Qatar
HMS Brocklesby and Shoreham, two of the UK’s Persian Gulf-based minehunters, sailed from Bahrain to Doha to give the Qatari Navy an insight into the Royal Navy’s work in the region. Joint training with the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces was conducted both in their base and then out in the gulf. The Qatar
USS Harry S. Truman first US carrier to operate in Arctic Circle in 27 years
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) entered the Arctic Circle on October 19, becoming the first US Navy aircraft carrier to do so in nearly 30 years. Accompanied by select ships from Carrier Strike Group Eight (CSG-8), the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) traveled north to conduct
Four injured in helicopter crash aboard French LHD Dixmude
A helicopter from the French Army 1st Combat helicopter regiment crashed aboard the amphibious assault ship BPC Dixmude during night-time flight operations on October 17. Four sailors were injured, one of them seriously, as the helicopter crashed during takeoff, the French defense ministry said. The
Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands sign up for new M-class IFF systems
The navies of Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands have signed a contract with Thales for the delivery of new Mode 5 and Mode S identification friend or foe (IFF) systems for their Karel Doorman-class frigates. The upgrade to the latest NATO IFF standard will enable the vessels to perform military
Croatian Navy tests RBS-15 in country’s largest drill in over 20 years
The Croatian Navy performed a test firing of its RBS-15B anti-ship missile, sinking a target vessel in a maneuver conducted as part of the country’s largest military drill since the Croatian War of Independence. The sinking exercise (SINKEX) took place on October 14 in the “Dugi Otok” training range
Turkish mine warfare drill Nusret 2018 gets underway in Izmir
The Turkey-hosted international mine warfare exercise Nusret 2018 got underway in the Gulf of Izmir on October 16. Turkish minehunters are joined by ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasure Group 2 for ten days of exercises. Nusret 2018 will also welcome autonomous underwater systems and ordna
Qinetiq picks Saab’s TactiCall for UK Naval Research Facility
UK defense technology company Qinetiq has ordered Saab’s integrated communication system, TactiCall, for use at their Shore-based Information Facility (SIF), a testing facility in Portsdown, near Portsmouth in the UK. QinetiQ’s SIF is used to carry out the testing and evaluation of communications eq
Iwo Jima ESG ships enter European waters ahead of NATO drill Trident Juncture
Ships assigned to the US Navy’s Iwo Jima expeditionary strike group (IWOESG) have entered the US 6th Fleet area of operations as part of a deployment in support of NATO exercise Trident Juncture 18. The strike group will join the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group and US 6th Fleet flagship USS Mou
Finland hosting over 40 vessels for exercise Northern Coasts
Finland will be hosting a total of 4,000 personnel and over 40 vessels for this year’s edition of the Baltic Sea drill Northern Coasts 2018 (NOCO). This will be the third time Finland is hosting the German Navy-led international exercise. According to the Finnish defense ministry, NOCO18 will involv
USS Harry S Truman joining largest NATO exercise Trident Juncture
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) will be joining the largest NATO exercise which is set to take place in Norway later this month. This is likely the first time an aircraft carrier will be taking part in Trident Juncture – an exercise whose 2018 edition is often referred to as on