A Russian IL-20 maritime patrol aircraft disappeared from radar over Syria on Monday as Israeli jets carried out an attack on Syria’s Latakia province. Most recent reports say that the defense ministry acknowledged the loss of the aircraft to friendly fire. According to Interfax, the Il-20 was shot
In an effort to ensure maritime security in the Gulf of Aden, the Singapore-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 conducted focused operation on behalf of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The operation, Vigilant Lion, which ran from August 31 to September 8, involved adjacent forces in CMF, the Europ
An illicit weapons shipment containing 2,521 AK-47 automatic rifles was seized by USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) on August 28, the US Navy confirmed. As Naval Today earlier reported, the weapons were found aboard an unflagged dhow in the Gulf of Aden. As informed, the full count follows an initial estim
Port Said, the first warship built in Egypt, has been launched in Alexandria. The launching ceremony took place at Alexandria Shipyard on September 6, French shipbuilder Naval Group informed. Today in Alexandria, the launching ceremony of the Port-Said took place. This state of the art #Gowind® 2500
Just days after media reports on Russia’s naval buildup in the Mediterranean Sea first emerged, the country’s defense ministry on Thursday announced a large-scale drill in the Mediterranean. Prior to the defense ministry’s announcement, the Russian Navy was said to have a little over ten warships sa
US Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham has intercepted an unflagged boat transporting small arms in the Gulf of Aden. According to CNN, who first reported the seizure, the number of arms seized in the operation on Tuesday could exceed one thousand. Defense officials told CNN that the unflagged dhow’s de
Russia has reportedly amassed a large task group in Syrian waters as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad mulls an assault on rebel positions in the northern Idlib province. With over ten warships deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, this is Russia’s largest naval buildup since the country stated supporti
Italian defense and aerospace contractor Leonardo announced that its $3.7 billion contract to deliver 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters to Qatar has been finalized. While initially signed on March 14, 2018, the contract for 16 NH90s in tactical transport (TTH) configuration a
US Navy and Coast Guard personnel wrapped up a trilateral exercise with the navies of Iraq and Kuwait in the Northern Persian Gulf. The exercise concluded August 15 and focused on improving collective proficiency in maritime security tactics between the three nations and ensuring the freedom of navi
After dropping off the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in North Carolina, nearly 1,200 sailors aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) entered their homeport of Mayport, Florida, on August 9. USS Iwo Jima returned from a six-month deployment to the US 5th and US 6t
The US Navy and the Egyptian Naval Force (ENF) wrapped up seven days of maneuvers as part of exercise Eagle Salute 18 in the Red Sea, August 3. Eagle Salute is a multilateral in-port and surface exercise to enhance interoperability and war-fighting readiness and advance operational capabilities of a
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 US State Department has approved $70 million worth of items and services for the upgrades of Royal Bahrain Navy frigate RBNS Sabha. The approved sale includes engineering, technical, and logistics services, documentation, and modification material for US Navy supplied systems and equipment. RBNS
