FS Bretagne, the French Navy’s fifth FREMM frigate, has officially entered service after completing its maiden deployment. The French Navy admits ships into active service only after they complete their first operational tasking. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configured FS Bretagne started constructi
The Royal Navy’s third Tide-class tanker RFA Tidesurge entered service in a ceremony on February 20. The 39,000-tonne fleet replenishment tanker is the latest of four new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. “Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tidesurge is the third of our four new fleet replenishment tankers,” said Com
Royal Danish Navy frigate HDMS Niels Juel got underway from Naval Base Korsør en route to the Mediterranean Sea port of Toulon where it will join French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle for almost two months of training and operations. Denmark’s defense ministry expressed its interest in sendin
US Navy fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) and Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose (F236) met up in the South China Sea on February 18 for a series of maritime security and logistics training. The drills involved Royal Marine commandos, Royal Navy sailors and Guadalupe crew members. Dur
Abu Dhabi Ship Building has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy’s Leonardo to step up cooperation in the naval sector at the IDEX International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The new MoU will see the two sides collaborate to create a combat management system (CMS) integration laborator
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook and ships from NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) entered the Black Sea on February 19. Donald Cook entered the Black Sea after last visiting the region in January 2019, when it visited Batumi, Georgia and con
NATO-led exercise Dynamic Guard concluded off the coast on February 15. Ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG 1), commanded by U.S. Rear Adm. Edward Cashman, were joined by other ally units in the region for ten days of evolutions. The exercise is executed concurrently with Norwegian led
The Italian Navy recently used the new Leonardo-developed M-40 target drones in an exercise involving the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and Durand de la Penne-class destroyer ITS Francesco Mimbelli. The exercise saw the aircraft carrier and its complement of AV8B+ fighter aircraft training alongside t
French shipbuilder Naval Group on Thursday announced it is starting work on the Argentine Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPV), thereby officially confirming the four-ship contract with the South American country. As outlined by the shipbuilder, the first patrol boat to be delivered will be the L’Adro
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, for a scheduled training and maintenance availability (TRAV) on February 13. The maintenance is being conducted after the ship completed a patrol in the US 6th Fleet Area of Operations.
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) are currently underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, taking part in what the NATO Maritime Command describes as advanced Force Integration Training (FIT). The drills are being conducted as part of the group’s patrols in the region. Composed o
The Chilean Navy will likely acquire the remaining two Dutch Karel Dorman-class (M-frigates) frigates as they retire from the Royal Netherlands Navy’s service, following the signing of a letter of intent (LoI) between the two sides. The LoI was signed during the visit of Dutch defense procurement or
German Navy F122 frigate FGS Augsburg will return to her Wilhelmshaven homeport on Friday, Februrary 15, concluding her final operational deployment. The frigate is one of only two ships in her class and is scheduled to retire this year after 30 years of service. In addition to concluding her final
The Royal Navy could possibly get a fleet of two new “Littoral Strike Ships” for operations close to the shore, UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson announced during a speech at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies on February 11. Research into the feasibility of the
