The Royal Australian Navy’s third Hobart-class air warfare destroyer Sydney is set to enter operations a year earlier than originally planned following an accelerated capability upgrade. As explained, the defense ministry was able to streamline a technical upgrade to the ship during its build at the
The Netherlands’ Defense Material Organization (DMO) procurement agency has awarded Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Den Helder (DSDH) a contract to design, build and deliver a prototype expeditionary survey boat (ESB) for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The ESB is to be optimized for rapid environment
US Navy and Marine Corps units are wrapping up two weeks of joint drills as part of exercise Pacific Blitz 2019 in and off the coast of Southern California. The scenario-driven field-training exercise kicked off March 12 and is set to conclude on Tuesday, March 26. The exercise involved command and
The US Coast Guard commissioned its 31st fast response cutter in a March 22 ceremony in San Pedro, California. Cutter Terrell Horne (WPC-1131) is the third FRC to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach and will operate throughout the 11th Coast Guard District, which includes all of
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster got underway from Portsmouth to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) for a deployment to northern Europe and the Baltic. The Duke-class frigate is scheduled to conduct exercises within her task group as well as a variety of port visits that wil
The decision on the preferred contractor for the construction of the German Navy’s new MKS 180 surface combatants could be delayed once more, minister president of the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein has indicated. Speaking to the German Press Agency DPA in Paris, Daniel Günther said a d
The Australian government has awarded Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia (SEDA) a contract for in-service support to the Royal Australian Navy’s infrared search and track systems. Australian defense minister Christopher Pyne said as the prime contractor, SEDA would provide maintenance and supp
US Navy ships from the Japan-based US 7th Fleet took part in what the navy termed the most advanced tactical training necessary for blue water combat. For the first time ever, three guided missile destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, and two amphibious ships of the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces com
The Royal Navy held an official naming ceremony for HMS Tamar, the fourth of overall five new Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels being built. The OPV naming ceremony took place in the shipyard in Glasgow where she and her sisters were built. The 90-meter ship is equipped with a 30mm cannon
Ship from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG) 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasure Group One (SNMCMG) 1 completed a scheduled port visit to Plymouth, England, before taking part in an eight-ship maneuver off the UK coast. SNMG-1 and SNMCMG-1 staff took advantage of time in port by having forc
The keel for the lead ship in the new class of Royal Australian Navy Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel has officially been constructed, Australia’s defense minister has announced. More than 50 tonnes of Australian steel has been assembled at Osborne Naval Shipyard, satisfying the contractual requ
Construction on the fourth Italian Navy Multipurpose Patrol Ship (PPA) kicked off with a steel-cutting ceremony at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso Shipyard in Genoa on March 14. While being the fourth in its class, this ship will be the first in the “full” configuration, meaning it will be equipped with
A joint French and British program to develop a new generation of anti-ship missiles has passed the “key review” phase, French missile maker MBDA has announced. The review was completed two years into the FC/ASW (future cruise/anti-ship weapon) concept phase, and was carried out jointly by the UK’s
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose bid farewell to Japan after a two-week stay which included exercises and a port visit. Montrose spent six days in Tokyo, berthed just three miles from the city center alongside her host, Japanese destroyer Murasame, whose crew introduced the Brits to Japanese cooking
