Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth made a surprise return to Portsmouth on July 9, despite having been expected to spend another week at sea in preparation for a training deployment to the US coast. The carrier was forced to return to its homeport due to an internal water leak which was
Navy ships and sailors from 13 nations completed UNITAS, the world’s longest running multinational maritime exercise, on July 3. Now in its 60th edition, the Chile-hosted maneuver saw naval forces from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Turkey, Unite
MQ-8C Fire Scout, the US Navy’s new unmanned helicopter, has reached initial operational capability (IOC) after some six years of flight trials. The navy declared IOC on June 28, after the MQ-8C clocked in over 1,500 flight hours with more than 700 sorties. The sea-based, vertical lift unmanned syst
Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding hosted a naming and launching ceremony for the Polish Navy’s third B860 tug on July 8. The vessel was named Mieszko and is part of a six-unit order from 2017. Three tugs would be supplied to the 3rd Ship Flotilla and three to the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla
US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy returned to its Norfolk homeport on July 6, less than a day after getting underway for exercises with the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. The cruiser was forced to break off from the drills due to what navy officials said were maintenance issues
Senior leaders from the navies of Australia and Japan met in Canberra for a series of engagements as the countries seek to expand their roles in the Southwest Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) have been constantly developing their cooperation since they
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has carried out the first test of its two Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS), engaging both air and surface targets. The trial took place on July 7, as the ship is in the final stages of preparations for a departure to the US coast where it will wr
Ships and submarines from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) are taking part in the anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Mongoose in the Norwegian Sea and across the Article Circle. The group shifted into the new area of operations from the Baltic Sea where it completed its participation in
US Navy’s Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) arrived at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base on July 6, becoming the first LCS to deploy to Singapore since late 2017. Montgomery’s arrival is part of a rotational deployment to the Indo-Pacific area of operations and is the four
The UK Ministry of Defence has signed an £85 million contract with engineering company Rolls-Royce to maintain the engines of the Royal Navy’s Type-23 frigate fleet. The contract includes a comprehensive support package to Spey gas turbines, including the overhaul of engines, provision of spares, as
The US Navy’s Ronald Reagan Strike Group has arrived in Brisbane, Australia, for a regularly scheduled port visit. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) pulled into Brisbane July 5, while the Arleigh Burke Class
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has entered the Black Sea to conduct routine patrols with NATO allies. Starting July 2, 2019, Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Toronto is sailing the Black Sea with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) to enhance interoperability with allies and build on cooperat
USNS Carson City (T-EFP 7), a military sealift command Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship, departed Rota, Spain, on July 2, as part of the US Navy’s second deployment to the Gulf of Guinea this year. Sailors and embarked personnel will work alongside regional partners on an Africa Par
The Romanian authorities have selected French Naval Group and its Romanian partner Santierul Naval Constanta (SNC) for the program to build four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes. In addition, Naval Group and SNC will modernize the T22 frigates and create a maintenance center and a training center.
