Vessels
Kearsarge amphibious ready group returns from Middle East deployment
Ships from the US Navy’s Kearsarge amphibious ready group (ARG) are set to return to Norfolk on July 18, after eight months of operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. More than 4,500 sailors and marines are embarked aboard amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), the amphibious trans
Royal Navy’s Martlet missile debuts on Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland
The missile will defend against small boat attacks.
Brazil carries out third test of MANSUP anti-ship missile
The Brazilian Navy has carried out a third test launch of the MANSUP anti-ship missile on July 10, targeting the hull of the former tugboat Tridente. The missile was launched by Niterói-class frigate BNS Independência on July 10 and was supported by a number of naval and aerial assets. The test was
French yard launching “world’s largest Aluminium OPV” for Philippine Coast Guard
French shipbuilder OCEA is ready to launch the 84-meter offshore patrol vessel OPV 270 for the Philippines Coast Guard at its Les Sables d’Olonne site on July 17. The shipbuilder says the vessel is the “largest aluminium OPV built in the world”. It is built under a contract from late 2017, which inc
Greece gets green light to buy seven MH-60R helos
The US State Department has cleared Greece to buy MH-60R multi-mission helicopters with support equipment under a deal estimated to be worth $600 million. The US approval comes less than six months after the Greek government announced its intention to buy the MH-60R. The Hellenic Navy is expected to
First UK P-8A Poseidon starts test flights
The UK’s first Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) maritime patrol aircraft has completed its first flight, marking another milestone ahead of delivery in early 2020. Following this first test flight, the aircraft will transfer from Boeing Commercial Airplanes to Boeing Defense, Space and Security to be fitted
US Navy’s 13th EPF to be named USNS Apalachicola
The 13th vessel in the US Navy’s Spearhead-class of expeditionary fast transport (EPF) ships will be named USNS Apalachicola (T-EPF 13), Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has announced. Construction of the ship is set to start in late 2019 after shipbuilder Austal USA received a long-lead tim
Australian frigate home after seizing over $1B worth of drugs in Middle East
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat returned to its Perth homeport on July 14, following a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. The frigate’s 200 officers and sailors worked together with the international Combined Maritime Forces to seize nearly 20 tonnes of illicit drugs worth an esti
UK sending destroyer Duncan to Persian Gulf amid Iran tensions
The UK is sending Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan to the Persian Gulf in the wake of an escalation of tensions in the region following the scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal and a spate of attacks on commercial tankers. HMS Duncan was operating in the Black Sea when the ship’s new tasking was announced
Malaysia’s second Keris-class littoral mission ship Sundang launched in China
The Royal Malaysian Navy’s second Keris-class littoral mission ship (LMS) was launched in Wuhan, China, by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) on July 12. Named Sundang (with pennant number 112), the LMS is the second of four ships in the class ordered under a RM1.17 billion (approx. US$2
Dutch Navy modernizing support, hydrographic ships
The Netherlands defense ministry has awarded Dutch shipbuilder Damen a contract for the refit and upgrades of three Royal Netherlands Navy ships. As part of the midlife upkeep (MLU) contract, Damen Shipyards Den Helder will modernize support ship HNLMS Pelikaan, along with hydrographic survey vessel
Watch as the last piece of a US aircraft carrier’s flight deck is installed
The US Navy’s newest, digitally-built, aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) now has a complete flight deck after shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries lifted the final bow section into place. The addition of the upper bow section at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division is one of
Royal Navy frigate gears for return to fleet after two-year overhaul
Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster is preparing to welcome crew back on board, two years after starting her overhaul in 2017. Upgrades to the ship included the installation of the new Artisan 3D radar, improved navigational radar and the new-generation Sea Ceptor missile system which replaces the now-
Italian Navy Special Forces receive fast boat Angelo Cabrini
Italian Navy special forces – the Operational Raiders Group (Gruppo Operativo Incursori) – received the first of two high-speed multi-purpose vessels from Intermarine on July 8. Angelo Cabrini was delivered a little over a year after it was launched and will support missions of GOI, which is part of