Warships from eight nations arrived in Greece for the annual exercise Ariadne which will be taking place from March 31 to April 7. In addition to ships, naval officers from some ten countries will be attending the exercise in the Ionian Sea in the Gulf of Patras. NATO ships from the Standing Mine Co
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia launched the Spanish Navy’s fifth BAM (Buque de Acción Marítima) ship on March 30 at its Cadiz-San Fernando shipyard. Named Audaz, (which translates to bold or audacious) the modular offshore patrol vessel is the fifth of overall nine units the Spanish Navy plans to acqu
The Australian government on Friday released the Request for Tender (RFT) for the Royal Australian Navy’s $35 billion Future Frigate project. The RFT was issued to the three shortlisted designers: British BAE Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri and Spain’s Navantia. Minister for Defence Industry, Christoph
French shipbuilder DCNS has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indonesian shipyard PT PAL to increase cooperation in the fields of submarine and surface ship construction. The MoU confirmation comes following the visit of French president François Hollande to Indonesia. Indonesia wants
Norway’s plans to replace its ageing fleet of P-3 Orion and DA-20 Jet Falcon maritime patrol aircraft became official on Wednesday with the signing of a contract for the acquisition of the Boeing built P-8A. The contract for five aircraft was signed by the Norwegian defense equipment agency, on beha
Photos: EUNAVFOR Spanish Navy’s counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa are enhanced by the presence of an unmanned aerial vehicle which helps prevent, or respond timely to potential attacks. A crew from Spain’s 11th Squadron, which is usually based in Cadiz, is currently deployed with Operati
A new flight simulator for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft is now ready to help prepare pilots to take the real aircraft on flight trials on the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth next year. The simulator will test pilots’ skills to the limits as they practise landing on the deck
The UK Ministry of Defence has offered amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean for sale to the Brazilian Navy, the media in the South American country wrote. The UK Defence Journal first noted the reports which said the price of the helicopter carrier was deemed “reasonable” by Brazilian officials. Follow
The former First Sea Lord of the British Royal Navy, retired Admiral Sir George Zambelas, will be joining Liquid Robotics’ global strategic advisory board, the company announced on Wednesday. “As a member of this distinguished board of advisors, Sir George will bring his vast military and maritime d
The medical team on board the Spanish Navy landing platform dock ESPS Galicia, Operation Atalanta’s current flagship, recently carried out a helicopter casualty evacuation exercise as part of medical emergency readiness training. Sailors regularly conduct medical exercises at sea to ensure they rema
U.S. Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 60 departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 27 for a six-month deployment to the Navy’s 5th and 6th fleet areas of operation. The Leyte Gulf crew went through a demanding training cycle in preparat
Over 30 ships and submarines are taking part in the UK-hosted bi-annual exercise Joint Warrior over the course of next two weeks. Around 13,000 soldiers and sailors from 13 nations will hone their warfighting capabilities from March 26 to April 6. Among the participants are ships from Standing NATO
Italian Navy’s Maestrale-class frigate ITS Espero has joined the EU’s counter piracy mission off the coast of Somalia. ITS Espero was welcomed to the counter-piracy task force on Saturday, March 25. Led by Commander Luigi Pirozzi, ITS Espero’s sailors and marines prepared for their mission with oper
The Royal Norwegian Navy is getting a mine countermeasure capability boost with a new set of autonomous underwater vehicles. Contracted by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), Kongsberg Maritime is to deliver four complete Hugin AUV systems for detection, classification and identification o
