Training & Education
Royal Navy’s Martlet missile debuts on Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland
The missile will defend against small boat attacks.
Greece gets green light to buy seven MH-60R helos
The US State Department has cleared Greece to buy MH-60R multi-mission helicopters with support equipment under a deal estimated to be worth $600 million. The US approval comes less than six months after the Greek government announced its intention to buy the MH-60R. The Hellenic Navy is expected to
France launches first of new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines
Suffren boats will be more silent, durable, and deadly than their predecessors.
USS Ross returns from eighth forward-deployed patrol
US Navy destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) returned to its Spanish homeport at Naval Station Rota on July 7, completing its eighth forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol. The Arleigh Burke-class ship departed for patrol on March 8 to carry out naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. R
13-nation naval exercise concludes in Chile
Navy ships and sailors from 13 nations completed UNITAS, the world’s longest running multinational maritime exercise, on July 3. Now in its 60th edition, the Chile-hosted maneuver saw naval forces from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Turkey, Unite
US Navy’s MQ-8C unmanned helicopter reaches initial operational capability
MQ-8C Fire Scout, the US Navy’s new unmanned helicopter, has reached initial operational capability (IOC) after some six years of flight trials. The navy declared IOC on June 28, after the MQ-8C clocked in over 1,500 flight hours with more than 700 sorties. The sea-based, vertical lift unmanned syst
Cruiser Normandy forced to abort carrier strike group drill due to “maintenance issues”
US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy returned to its Norfolk homeport on July 6, less than a day after getting underway for exercises with the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. The cruiser was forced to break off from the drills due to what navy officials said were maintenance issues
Video: HMS Queen Elizabeth tests newly-installed Phalanx CIWS for first time
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has carried out the first test of its two Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS), engaging both air and surface targets. The trial took place on July 7, as the ship is in the final stages of preparations for a departure to the US coast where it will wr
NATO ASW exercise Dynamic Mongoose underway off Norway
Ships and submarines from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) are taking part in the anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose in the Norwegian Sea and across the Article Circle. The group shifted into the new area of operations from the Baltic Sea where it completed its participation in
Largest US-Australian drill kicks off aboard USS Ronald Reagan
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019, the largest Australian-US bilateral exercise, was held in the Port of Brisbane on July 7, on the USS Ronald Reagan. Australian defense minister Linda Reynolds CSC said the exercise was designed to enhance combat readiness and interoperability between the Australian and
UK MOD awards £85M contract to Rolls-Royce to boost Type-23 fleet capabilities
The UK Ministry of Defence has signed an £85 million contract with engineering company Rolls-Royce to maintain the engines of the Royal Navy’s Type-23 frigate fleet. The contract includes a comprehensive support package to Spey gas turbines, including the overhaul of engines, provision of spares, as
French submarine Saphir arrives in Cherbourg before retiring
On July 3, the French Navy’s nuclear attack submarine Saphir (S602) reached the Cherbourg port, prior to her retiring from the navy’s fleet. After 35 years of service, Saphir will be the first of six Rubis-class submarines to be retired from active duty at the end of this month. Launched in 1981 and
UK Royal Marines test new Lightweight Multirole Missiles
UK’s Royal Marines have tested their ability to take out airborne targets with a new laser-guided missile system on the ranges in south Wales. Air Defence Troop of Plymouth-based 30 Commando IX Group is the first sub unit to use the fresh-out-the-packet Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) system. Th
Australia welcomes US Ronald Reagan Strike Group
The US Navy’s Ronald Reagan Strike Group has arrived in Brisbane, Australia, for a regularly scheduled port visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) pulled into Brisbane July 5, while the Arleigh Burke Class