Taking a break from her Atlantic patrol duties, Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay stopped in Bermuda on December 15 for a three day visit. The ship has been deployed to the region to provide humanitarian and disaster relief for the UK’s Caribbean overseas territories and Bermuda. This year RFA Mounts
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a $135.8 contract for work on the development and integration of the Aegis Baseline 9 systems for Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyers. The Baseline 9/BMD 5.1 variant is referred to as J7 for Japanese destroyers. The contract award
The Peruvian Navy officially marked the beginning of construction works on its second Makassar-class landing platform dock (LPD) ‘Paita’ with a keel-laying ceremony on December 14. The ceremony took place at the SIMA shipyard in Calao and was led by Peruvian defense minister Jorge Nieto Montesinos.
US Navy sailors from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 12 joined their German Navy counterparts for two weeks of EOD training missions at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Nov. 27 through Dec. 11. EODMU 12 and their German counterparts conducted training evolutions
US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has qualified the first nine F-35C Lightning II pilots during its underway period. The Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) Carrier Qualifications were successfully completed between December 7 and 11. Along with Abraham Lincoln, the “
The US Navy is set to commission littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS 9) in a ceremony on Saturday, December 16, at the Canalside waterfront in Buffalo, New York. The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship is the 10th LCS to enter the fleet and the fifth of the Freedom-variant design. Little Rock
US Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722) returned to Apra Harbor, Guam, on December 15, after four months of operations in the Western Pacific. Key West, under the command of Cmdr. J. Grady Hill, is returning from the US 7th Fleet area of responsibility, where the crew par
The US Navy has awarded General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding (NASCO) a $16.3 million contract for the maintenance and repairs of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Pinckne (DDG 91). Under the contract, NASCO is to perform what is referred to as a selected restricted availability which wil
Peruvian naval shipyard SIMA has started the modernization of the Peruvian Navy’s four Type 209/1200 submarines. The first boat to undergo the upgrades is the BAP Chipana which was recently lifted out of the water onto a dry dock for the maintenance. The Syncrolift system the company used for the pr
The US Marine Corps’ unmanned helicopter has completed a successful final flight demonstration at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced. The unmanned helicopter enhances autonomy options for the Marine Corps and was developed as part of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/
US defense contractor Raytheon announced it has completed design, development and testing of its Cooperative Engagement Capability system which will provide the Australian Navy’s new Hobart-class destroyers with enhanced air warfare capabilities. The systems are yet to be certified by the US Navy, h
US Navy submarine USS Asheville (SSN 758) completed her homeport shift from Pearl Harbor arriving at Naval Base Guam on December 14. Asheville replaced USS Chicago (SSN 721) as Guam’s fourth forward-deployed Los Angeles-class attack submarine. Chicago shifted homeport to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in Sep
Members of the US Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51, 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (TF 51/5) on December 13 started a bilateral amphibious combat rehearsal in international waters off the coast of Djibouti, Africa. They will be teaming up with the French Task Group 473.1 which is composed of
The crew of US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) concluded the first port call of their forward-deployed patrol, departing Valletta, Malta, on December 12. USS Carney also became the first US Navy ship to moor in Valletta since 2014. “We are thankful for the hos
