Training & Education
US, Philippine Navy conclude Sama Sama 2018
The US and Philippine navies concluded maritime training activity (MTA) Sama Sama 2018 at the Philippine Navy base Ernesto Ogbinar on July 17. The week-long engagement involved sailors and marines from the US and Philippine navies operating jointly in the air, on the ground, and on and under the sea
USS Montgomery completes combat system qualifications
US Navy’s Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) has completed combat system ship qualification trials (CSSQT), the US Navy announced. During the qualification, which concluded July 1, several trials validated the performance of the combat systems suite. The tests involved
Australian tanker HMAS Success on final RIMPAC deployment before retiring
Royal Australian Navy’s 32-year-old tanker HMAS Success is taking part in her 11th and final exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) in Hawaii. The auxiliary oiler – also known as navy’s ‘battle tanker’ – sailed from Pearl Harbor along with HMA Ships Adelaide, Melbourne and Toowoomba for the sea phase
GA-ASI to integrate Leonardo’s SAGE EWS into MQ-9B UAV
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) has teamed up with Leonardo to integrate SAGE electronic warfare surveillance system onto its MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicle. SAGE will be offered as an available baseline configuration for MQ-9B customers of Sky Guardian and maritime surveillance Se
Spanish frigate returns home from 3-month NATO deployment
Spanish Navy F100 frigate Álvaro de Bazán (F-101) has returned to the Ferrol Naval Base following a three-month deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1. During her deployment, Álvaro de Bazán sailed more than 16,000 nautical miles and visited seven countries. In mid-April, the frigate set sai
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan returns from NATO tasking in the Med
Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan returned to her homeport in Portsmouth after six months of operations as flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). During her time at the helm of SNMG2, Duncan led an international group of frigates, destroyers and patrol ships on operations in the
HMS Montrose on maneuvers in Baltic Sea as part of nine-nation partnership
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose recently sailed to the Baltic Sea for two weeks of exercises as part of a new agreement on military cooperation between the UK and Baltic states. Earlier this month, defense ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and
Video: RIMPAC participants sink decommissioned landing ship USS Racine
Australian, Japanese and US units joined forces on July 12 to sink the decommissioned ex-USS Racine (LST-1191) during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of RIMPAC 2018. Live fire from aircraft, a submarine, and land assets sank the former landing ship in waters 15,000 feet deep 55 nautical miles no
Ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska returns from first patrol after 41-month overhaul
The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) has returned from her first strategic deterrent mission since 2013. The submarine deployed with the Blue crew and returned to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on July 12. Nebraska recently completed a 41-month engineered refueling overhaul (
Metal Shark partners with ASV Global to offer autonomous vessels
US-based boat builder Metal Shark has teamed up with autonomous vessel technology developer ASV Global to offer an entire range of autonomous vessels. The autonomous technology – named “Sharktech” – is offered on Metal Shark’s entire portfolio of vessels, which range from 16’ to over 300’ in aluminu
Ronald Reagan strike group ships hone air defense skills in Philippine Sea
The Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 aboard the forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) carried out an air defense exercise (ADEX) in the Philippine Sea July 6-7. Milius is the most recent forward-deployed Navy vessel, havi
RIMPAC mine warfare operations kick off in SOCAL
Commander Task Force (CTF) 177 kicked off the Southern California (SOCAL) portion of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) with mine warfare training operations which run from June 27 to August 2. CTF 177 is comprised of 26 units with approximately 1,100 personnel representing the United States, Australia
NATO states plan joint maritime munition acquisition
Several North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) states intend to combine maritime munition purchases with the aim of lowering acquisition costs by achieving economies of scale. Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain signed a Letter of Intent on Multinational Cooperation f
Romanian Navy deploys two ships to NATO operations in Black Sea
The Romanian Navy has deployed a frigate and a minesweeper to join two separate NATO maritime groups for operations in the Black Sea. Frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand and Musca-class minesweeper Lt. Lupu Dinescu got underway from the naval base in Constanta on July 11 and will spend the rest of the mont