The Portuguese Navy’s new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) NRP Setúbal has completed sea trials. As explained, the trials were designed to test the ship in extreme operational conditions. They consisted of actions that evaluated the behavior and maneuver in the sea, the response of the propulsion and el
HMS Medway, the second of the Royal Navy’s next-generation patrol ships, will debut in Portsmouth in the New Year after completing her maiden sea trials. The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) spent 15 days in the Firth of Clyde testing her engines, maneuverability, sensors and main cannon under a mixed c
The French Navy plans to install seven tracking and illumination (STIR) radars on its frigates for their gun and missile fire control, defense technology company Thales said. As informed, five of the radars will be installed on board future intermediate-size frigates (FTI), and two will be placed on
The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) celebrated ten years of maritime operations on December 8. Commanded from its military HQ in Northwood, London, the European Union Naval Force was officially launched on December 8, 2008. Codenamed Operation Atalanta, it is a naval force generated by EU Mem
Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in Portsmouth today following the completion of initial fast jet trials in America. The 65,000-ton carrier’s first transatlantic deployment, which began in August, saw her embark two F-35B Lightning II test aircraft, from the Integrated Test
Three shipbuilding teams have received funds from the UK to continue developing their plans for the construction of Type 31e frigates. On December 10, 2018, the country’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) awarded three contracts for the Competitive Design Phase. The contracts have been awarded to consortia
Babcock’s Rosyth shipbuilders have wrapped up an overhaul of the Royal Navy’s ocean survey vessel HMS Scott, the company announced on Thursday. A 150-strong team – including welders, electricians, slingers, pipe workers, painters, commissioning engineers and fabricators – have worked on HMS Scott si
US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) returned to her homeport of Mayport, Florida, Dec. 4, after nine weeks of operations in the northern Atlantic Ocean. As flagship of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), the ship returned to sea after completing a six-month deployment to part
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) trained with Egyptian Navy vessels after concluding a visit to the Egyptian Navy base in Alexandria on December 4. Although hampered by the weather conditions, the passing exercise consisted of a tactical maneuvering exercise, helicopter operatio
UK defense contractor QinetiQ confirmed that it has added Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to the naval combat systems integration support service (NCSISS) it provides in partnership for the Royal Navy. Confirmation of the £9 million contract extension follows the company’s announcement earli
The second Royal Navy Dreadnought-class ballistic missile submarine will be named HMS Valiant, the UK defense secretary has announced. In addition to naming the submarine, defense secretary Gavin Williamson announced a £400 million funding boost for the Dreadnought program. The planned funding relea
Israeli unmanned systems specialist Elbit Systems has teamed up with Italy’s Leonardo to equip the Seagull unmanned surface vessel (USV) with mini torpedoes. The agreement, announced at the Exponaval exhibition in Chile, will see the two companies develop the USV’ capability of mounting and launchin
UK’s Defence Equipment and Support agency has awarded Thales a £23 million contract to equip Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships with new V/UHF radios. As announced by the agency, the radios will be installed on 39 ships in total, including Type 23 frigates, survey and ice patrol vessels, min
The Norwegian defense ministry has shared a detailed, and illustrated, plan of how it plans to salvage the HNoMS Helge Ingstad which has been sitting on the sea bottom in the Hjeltefjorden fjord after colliding with a tanker on November 8. While the plan provides no timetable on when the operation w
