Vessels
New UK Hydrographic Office officially opened by Princess Royal
The Princess Royal officially opened the new home of UK Hydrographic Office in a ceremony on April 26. Construction of the new headquarters for the 850 data analysers, hydrographers, cartographers, environmental experts and scientists took 18 months to complete and was ready for operations in Januar
New Zealand Navy tanker Aotearoa hits the water
Future HMNZS Aotearoa, the largest ship ever built for the Royal New Zealand Navy, was launched at Hyundai Heavy Industries’s Ulsan shipyard in South Korea on April 24. Aotearoa now begins six months of fit out before her formal naming ceremony in Ulsan, South Korea, attended by the Governor-General
Australia deploys P-8A Poseidon on North Korea sanctions enforcement mission
The Australian defense ministry is deploying a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to Japan, from where it will conduct maritime surveillance operations in support of United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea. The aircraft’s mission will be to help monitor and deter ship‑to-sh
US Navy christening former Hawaii superferry in Japan
The US Navy is set to christen two ships in two ceremonies on different sides of the world on Saturday, April 27. The first ceremony will occur in Okinawa, Japan, where high-speed transport vessel USNS Guam (T-HST 1) will be christened at 10 a.m. Japan Standard Time. Zumwalt-class guided missile des
US Navy christening final Zumwalt-class destroyer in Maine
The US Navy is to christen its third and final Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer, the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002), in a ceremony at the General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. The ceremony is set for Saturday, April 27. DDG 1002 is named in honor of US president Ly
US destroyer uses combat system virtual twin in first live-fire test
US destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) tested the new AEGIS Virtual Twin system, a prototype of the AEGIS virtual combat management system, in a March live-fire missile launch. Thomas Hudner’s crew operated the Virtual Twin to fire a missile against an incoming target, proving the Virtual Twin can
Work progresses on first Royal Navy Type 26 frigate
Future HMS Glasgow, the first of the new class of Royal Navy Type 26 frigates, is beginning to resemble a ship as her manufacturing progresses on the Clyde. The new City-class ships will be the successor to the Duke-class Type 23 frigates currently in service. She’ll comprise more than 60 blocks in
VT Halter Marine to build first new heavy icebreaker for US Coast Guard in over 40 years
The US Coast Guard and US Navy have awarded VT Halter Marine a contract for the detail design and construction (DD&C) of the lead Polar Security Cutter (PSC). Under an initial award valued at $745.9 million, the Pascagoula-based shipbuilder will design and deliver the first new heavy icebreaker for
First new Argentine OPV officially starts construction in France
While the first block of a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) for the Argentine Navy was already assembled in Concarneau, French defense minister Florence Parly visited the site of shipbuilder Piriou to mark the official start of construction under the EUR280 million contract. The visit took place on
Lockheed gets $20m for US Navy AN/BLQ-10 electronic warfare systems
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $20 million contract for engineering and technical services for the AN/BLQ-10 Electronic Warfare System Technology Insertion (TI)-20, TI-22 and TI-24. The AN/BLQ-10 system includes extensive commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and non-developmental item hardware
India launches hull of third Project 15B destroyer Imphal
Indian shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited hosted a launching ceremony for the Indian Navy’s third Project 15B destroyer at its Mumbai shipyard on April 20. Imphal, as the third unit is the class will be named, entered water with a launch weight of 3,037 tonnes. The 163-meter will displace
Russia’s lead Gremyashchy-class corvette starts first trials
Two brand new Russian Navy ships got underway from the Severnaya Verf in St. Petersburg on April 21 to start their trials in the Baltic Sea. The second Project 22350 frigate Admiral Kasatonov got underway for another round of trials after making its at-sea debut in December 2018. For corvette Gremya
GDEB gets $269m for US, UK SSBN missile tube work
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) a $269.3 million contract for work on missile tubes for the ballistic missile submarines of the US and UK. The contract will see GDEB manufacture 42 missile tubes and missile tube outfitting material for the US Navy’s
USS Charleston completes maiden voyage, arrives in San Diego
The US Navy’s newest littoral combat ship, USS Charleston (LCS 18), arrived at its San Diego homeport April 19 after completing its maiden voyage from the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Prior to arriving in San Diego, the Independence-variant LCS officially joined the fleet March 2 when it