The Royal Australian Air Force has received its eighth Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, Australia’s defense minister announced on April 9. The aircraft number eight had been identified as RAAF’s long-term fatigue management aircraft and had been fitted with a raft of diagnostic equipment, acc
An international search is underway in the Pacific Ocean for a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A fighter jet, which disappeared from radar at around 7:30pm local time on April 9. The F-35A lost radar contact approximately 85 miles east of Misawa Air Base. Media reports quoting Japanese mili
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) got underway from Naval Station Norfolk on April 8 for its flight deck certification and for first flight ops since the summer of 2017. The ship recently completed a planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard as part of the m
The Finnish defense ministry has selected Sweden’s Saab as the preferred bidder for the development and delivery of combat systems for the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 vessels. Finland’s defense minister Jussi Niinistö announced on April 8 that Saab’s offer performed best in the comparison of quotat
The Polish government has signed an EUR 90 million offset agreement with Leonardo MW which will precede a contract for the delivery of AW101 helicopters for the Polish Navy’s anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations. While the helicopters will be delivered from the Leonardo MW Yeovil
Royal Navy pilots flying UK F-35B jets in Cyprus will mark the first time in over a decade UK naval aviators are operating overseas. Two months of training in the eastern Mediterranean is lined up for the men and women of the Lightning Force in preparation for their first spell of training aboard HM
US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and ships from its carrier strike group (CSG) arrived in the US 6th Fleet area of operations on April 8, seven days after getting underway from Norfolk. The strike group, which includes the aircraft carrier, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte
The US Navy recently completed developmental testing of the AN/AQS-20C (Q-20C) towed minehunting sonar, bringing the mine countermeasure system a step closer to joining the fleet. The Q-20C has advanced acoustic and electro-optic sensing capabilities that will detect, localize and classify bottom, c
US personnel stationed in Tripoli were evacuated from the city in the wake of the advance of Libyan National Army forces, led by General Khalifa Hifter, towards the Libyan capital. LNA forces started their push on April 5. The UN-backed government says that 21 people have already been killed in figh
France’s Naval Group and Germany’s MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH have signed the first major equipment subcontract for the Australian Attack-class submarine program. The contract will see MTU Friedrichshafen design the diesel generator rectifier (DGR) for the submarines to turn mechanized energy into ele
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose recently documented a North Korean ship carrying out an illegal ship-to-ship fuel transfer in the East China Sea. Working alongside Japanese partners on March 2, the British frigate spotted the North Korean-flagged tanker Saebyol, which was transmitting on ship tracki
Assets from the US Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) kicked off the 8th edition of exercise Guardian Sea in the Andaman Sea on April 7. A US Navy Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine and underway replenishment oiler along with two Thai frigates, a corvette and a Sea Hawk helicopter will take part in
Australia handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to the Pacific Island country Tuvalu in a ceremony in Perth, Australia, on April 5. The 39.5 meter steel hulled patrol boat was built by Australian shipbuilder Austal under an AUD 335 million program that will see 21 boats gifted to 12 Pacific Islan
Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has awarded MAN Energy Solutions Canada a CAD 55 million contract to provide essential power generation and propulsion systems for the Royal Canadian Navy’s new Joint Support Ships. Propulsion and power generation components will include two MAN 12V32/44CR (Com
