US Navy destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) returned to its Spain homeport on July 27, completing its fifth forward deployed naval forces (FDNF) patrol. Porter departed Naval Station Rota on April 2, to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, interacting with 20 countries in the p
The Israeli Navy recently hosted explosive ordnance disposal divers from the navies of the US and France for mine countermeasure exercise Noble Melinda 2018. The exercise focused on enhancing cooperation and regional maritime security by sharing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and fosterin
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has marked the official start of construction of the first Doha-class corvette for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces. The steel cutting ceremony for the vessel took place on Monday at the Muggiano (La Spezia) yard, in the presence of the Qatari defense minister, His Excell
The Spanish Navy commissioned its fifth Buque de Acción Marítima (BAM) ship in a ceremony in San Fernando on July 27. The ceremony was chaired by Ángel Olivares Ramírez, Secretary of State for Defense, with the head of the Spanish Navy (AJEMA), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and other gover
US Navy’s Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) has embarked an Italian AV-8B Harrier jet as it sails home from a deployment to Europe and Middle East. The jet and its crew landed on July 18 and will later cross the Atlantic Ocean with the sailors and marines aboard the Iwo Jima. [
Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll joined the international Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) during a recent visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Currently under command of Royal Navy Commodore Steve Moorhouse, CTF 150 is part of the 32-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), is responsible for disrupting the
‘Panglao’ – the Philippine Coast Guard’s second FPB 72 MKII fast patrol boat – has been loaded in Saint-Nazaire, France, and is ready for delivery. The first boat in the class – Boracay – was loaded for delivery to the Philippines early June. Built by French shipbuilder Ocea, Panglao is one of four
The French Navy commissioned its second Loire-class offshore support and assistance multipurpose vessel – BSAH Rhone – in a ceremony on July 6. Rhone entered service after being launched by the Kership joint venture in Concarneau, north-western France, in November 2017, and completing all trials off
The Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard marked the official construction-start of the Russian Navy’s sixth Project 12700 minesweeper with a keel-laying ceremony at its St. Petersburg shipyard on July 25. The monolithic-fiberglass vessel is named ‘Peter Ilyichev’ and is expected to be handed over to the navy by N
French shipbuilder Naval Group has delivered the fifth FREMM multi-mission frigate, FS Bretagne, to the French Navy. Bretagne was handed over to the French Government Defense procurement and technology agency (DGA) on July 18, nine months after it concluded its first trials. The anti-submarine warfa
The UK’s short take off vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B jets have started training on the first of three vertical landing pads at RAF Marham. The VLPs are built for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation by a joint venture between Galliford Try and Lagan Construction. The Norfolk site is the main op
Spanish Navy’s Galicia-class landing platform dock ESPS Castilla got underway from her homeport at Rota Naval Base on July 19 to join the counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa. ESPS Castilla will operate two SH-60 helicopters from the 10th aircraft squadron during the deployment a
The UK defense ministry’s project of acquiring “low-cost” Type 31 frigates has been brought to a halt due to what the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) office described as a lack of “compliant bids”. The process is now being streamlined, according to a IHS Jane’s report, and will be restarted in
Belgian Navy command and support ship BNS Godetia assumed the role of NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) flagship on July 22, taking over from Dutch submarine support ship HNLMS Mercuur (A900). Despite having 780,000 nautical miles on the clock, Godetia brings a wealth of capabilit
