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 (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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
The Turkish Navy-hosted exercise Mavi Balina concluded on October 9, after a week of evolutions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mavi Balina consisted of a port phase which started September 27 and transitioned to the at-sea portion on September 30. The biannual anti-submarine warfare exercise also
The second multilateral maritime exercise Mare Aperto in 2018 has begun in the Mediterranean Sea, with the participation of the Italian, French and the US navies. The exercise, designed to improve combined combat capability, increase operational capacity, and strengthen relationships among exercise
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman arrived into Portsmouth on October 6 for a port visit while on a Mediterranean Sea deployment. The carrier most recently visited France and Greece and will continue with her program early this week. Arriving early Saturday morning into a foggy Solent, she
Ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) transited the Kiel Canal and arrived in Wismar, Germany, October 5, returning to the Baltic Sea for another routine patrol. The SNMCMG1 visit to Wismar included courtesy calls with local authorities, a force reception and ships ope
