Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay took over UK’s North Atlantic patrol duties from RFA Wave Knight during a port visit to the Lesser Antilles port of Fort-de-France in Martinique. Handing over the baton to Mounts Bay, RFA Wave Knight wrapped up a 13 month deployment which has seen the ship sail
Improving maritime operations center processes which represent the essential decision-making capability of an exercise has been one of the main priorities of the Ukranian-hosted Black Sea drill Sea Breeze 2017. Ukrainians and their international partners are working deliberately to increase the comb
The French Ministry of Armed Forces has awarded ECA Group a new five-year contract for the supply of consumables for the French Navy’s PAP demining remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). According to the company, the contract will amount to over €4 million up to a maximum of €8 million depending on util
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held a steel cutting ceremony for the Italian Navy’s multipurpose amphibious unit (LHD or Landing Helicopter Dock) at its Castellammare di Stabia shipyard on July 12. The approx. 200 meters long LHD will have a maximum speed of 25 knots and will be equipped with a com
Italian Navy frigate ITS Espero is en route to her homeport after over two months of counter-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa as part of the EUNAVFOR operation Atalanta. During her 108-day deployment ITS Espero’s ship’s company helped deter and suppress pirate attacks which started again in 201
The first of the Royal Marines’ upgraded Mk4 Merlin helicopters recently visited its future home at Yeovilton air base for refueling. The second-generation battlefield Merlin, factory model MLSP 1, tail number ZJ122, made the debut as the air station prepared for its annual air day on July 8. The he
HMS Montrose, the latest Royal Navy frigate to complete her modernization in Devonport, set sail on July 7 for the first time in almost three years. The Type 23 frigate began her refit in 2014 and the opportunity was seized to fit her with the newly developed Sea Ceptor missile system. Sea Ceptor an
NATO is eyeing the German naval station Warnemünde as logistical support for ships assigned to its maritime task groups, German media are reporting. According to the Ostsee-Zeitung which received a confirmation from the German defense ministry, Germany had earlier offered NATO to share the base in R
U.S.-based boat builder Metal Shark has entered a partnership with Dutch shipbuilder Damen for the construction of up to 13 near coastal patrol vessels (NCPV) for South American countries. Metal Shark was contracted by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command in June this year to build the boats for Domin
Defense forces from 17 countries are attending the multinational Black Sea exercise Sea Breeze which is taking place from July 10 to 22, in Ukraine. The exercise is co-hosted by the U.S. and Ukraine and will involve air, land, sea, and amphibious forces. The annual recurring multinational exercise i
Missile manufacturer MBDA announced it has completed the first test firing of the Anglo-French anti-ship missile Sea Venom/ANL at the Île du Levant test range in France. The missile is being developed to deliver an enhanced capability and replace existing and legacy systems such as the UK-developed
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has contracted Saab for work on the modification and upgrades of the Swedish Navy’s two Gävle-class corvettes. The BSEK 1.249 (approx. US$148 million) contract will see Saab perform life extension services on HMS Gävle and HMS Sundsvall. Swedish ship
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has ordered additional 18 CB90-class fast assault craft from Swedish boat builder Dockstavarvet under a SEK 400 million (approx. US$47.3m) contract. The new combat boats, referred to as Stridsbåt 90HSM (M standing for modernized), will be an improved
NATO’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2017 concluded in the North Atlantic Ocean on July 6. Led by NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, the exercise gathered units from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Th
