Royal Navy sailors who will be in charge of flight deck operations aboard the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) have visited Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland to get acquainted with the F-35B Lightning II. Up to this point, flying control and flight deck control teams assigne
The UK defense ministry’s program for the development of a new class of nuclear missile submarines and Trident nuclear program renewal is facing a £2.9b “affordability gap”, a review by spending watchdog National Audit Office (NAO) has found. This is in addition to the pressure faced by the defense
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) met with Turkish Navy units in the Aegean Sea as they wrapped up 20 days of operations in the Black Sea. Led by the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, SNMG2 ships rendezvoused with Turkish fast patrol boats TCG Mızrak and TCG Volkan after
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Alpino (F594) has arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, for the first stop of her North American tour. The tour will help Fincantieri, and the Italian industry, showcase the FREMM frigate design Fincantieri is offering for the US Navy’s next frigate, dubbed FFG(X). Alpin
The navies of US and France have concluded a “historic combined exercise” as the last French Navy Rafale jets took of from the flight deck of US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The exercise, named Chesapeake 2018, began in April this year at Naval Air Station Oceana and continue
The Royal Navy is selling its decommissioned minehunter HMS Walney and is advertising the vessel as a “one of a kind opportunity” for potential buyers. Announcing the potential sale of the vessel, the navy said Walney has potential to be turned into “a houseboat, a stylish restaurant, a floating bar
Romanian Constanţa Shipyard (SNC) and French Naval Group have partnered up on four corvettes to be built for the Romanian Navy. On April 20th, 2018, the duo inked an “exclusive partnership” to deliver four Gowind 2500 newbuilds. As informed, the partnership agreement follows the memorandum of unders
French Navy’s sole aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle has entered the water again after spending over 14 months in the dry dock as part of her mid-life upgrade. The aircraft carrier was refloated at the Toulon navy base on May 16 after entering the dry dock on February 8, 2017. FS Charles de Gaul
The Peruvian state-owned shipyard SIMA has awarded French defense contractor ECA Group a contract related to the overhaul of the Peruvian Navy’s four Type 209/1200 submarine. As announced by the French company, the contract is for the delivery of 16 units of static converters to be fitted on the ves
The UK defense ministry has issued a tender for the acquisition of Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships which will be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Compared to the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review which confirmed the need for three Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Fleet
Two Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 helicopters have returned home after two weeks of anti submarine warfare drills in the Norwegian Fjords as part of exercise Rogue Wizards 2018. The helicopters were flown by ‘Flying Sailors’ from the Merlin Training Squadron at RNAS Culdrose. 824 NAS is the unit which train
The first Royal Navy and Air Force F-35B jets are scheduled to fly into their new home at RAF Marham next month, the UK defense minister has announced. Four F-35Bs will arrive in the first tranche of stealth fighters to transfer from the USA to the UK, flying into RAF Marham in East Anglia. The Norf
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) arrived in Poti, Georgia, on May 14 after concluding their participation in the Romanian-hosted Black Sea exercise Sea Shield 2018. During the four-day port call to Poti, the ships’ crews will join Georgian Border Police for drills aimed at incre
The UK defense secretary is set to announce a £2.5bn investment for new Royal Navy submarines during his visit to BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria on Monday. According to the UK defense ministry, the investment includes £1.5bn for the construction of the seventh Astute-class sub
