Italian Navy’s sixth FREMM, multi-mission, frigate Luigi Rizzo F595 left Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia, to start sea trials May 17. The sixth of overall ten ships is scheduled for delivery in early 2017. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is building the vessels for the Italian Navy wit
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay on May 18 joined NATO’s Standing Maritime Group (SNMG 2) sailing in Southern European waters. The Bay-class landing ship deck auxiliary is 176.6 m long and a displaces about 16,000 t. It has the capability to operate several types of helicopters and is equippe
Spanish Navy frigate Reina Sofía (F-84) departed Rota Naval Base yesterday, May 18, to relieve ESPS Numancia, another Spanish Navy frigate integrated into Operation Sophia since January 2016. Numancia has participated in multiple rescue operation during her deployment. Just recently, the frigate wor
Ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group Two task unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) recently concluded a busy port visit in Casablanca, Morocco with a passing exercise and boarding exercise off the coast of Morocco. SNMG2 TU.02 led by Canadian Navy Commander Trevor MacLean included HMCS Fredericton (FFH 3
DGA, the French General Directorate for Armament, announced that it has started a new testing campaign for its unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), Dassault nEUROn. The aim of this round of testing, as DGA said, is to study the use of the UCAV in a naval context. DGA said the campaign would also i
The Royal Navy is to upgrade more than thirty ships and submarines with Lockheed Martin’s compass systems developed under a six year, £17 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence. The Navigation Compass Programme (NCP) contract will see Lockheed Martin replace the current systems in use on t
BAE Systems, the company in charge of the training programme for the Royal Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, has contracted BMT Defence Services to deliver a new 3D training system for the ships. BMT said it would utilise its existing training solution, Engage, to develop a 3D walkthrough train
U.S. Navy’s Blue Ridge-class command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) on May 16 departed Gaeta, Italy, to prepare for the upcoming BALTOPS 2016. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region. Mount Whit
Lockheed Martin, together with the Spanish technology company Indra, recently demonstrated the first phase of integration of new a solid state S-band radar system being developed for the future Spanish F-110 Frigate. The test was part of the technology development phase in the joint development of t
The international maritime exercise Phoenix Express 2016 was kicked off May 17, in the Mediterranean. Navies from Europe, North Africa, and the United States gathered to begin the 10th iteration of the exercise. Phoenix Express is sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and facilitated by U.S. Na
Maintenance works on the Royal Navy Hunt-class minesweeper HMS Brocklesby have begun in BAE Systems’ new Small Ships Centre of Specialisation at Portsmouth Naval Base. BAE said the work is part of a £600 million Maritime Services Delivery Framework (MSDF) contract to support half of the Royal Navy’s
Saab has presented its remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Sea Wasp, at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland. Sea Wasp, which relocates, identifies and neutralizes underwater improvised explosive devices (IEDs), is designed to combat below-the-surface terrorism. The c
Irish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel LÉ Róisín has taken part in the first rescue operation in the Mediterranean since it joined the life saving efforts in May 2016. Following a request from the Italian Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre on May 16, the LÉ Róisín successfully located and rescued a t
Chief of the Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, welcomed his French counterpart, Admiral Bernard Rogel, in Canberra, Australia last week for a series of meetings aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two navies. The visit comes in the wake of the Australian Government’s de
