Vessels
Australian task group starts Indo-Pacific Endeavour 19
The Royal Australian Navy kicked off the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 19 (IPE 19) deployment on March 11 as HMA Ships Canberra, Success, Newcastle, and Parramatta set sail from Fremantle in Western Australia. 1000 embarked ADF personnel will carry out a series of engagement activities and military trainin
Royal Navy frigate rescues 27 from burning ship
Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll rescued 27 sailors from the Italian Con/Ro ship Grande America which caught fire in the Bay of Biscay on March 11. The frigate was on her way home to Plymouth after nine months away in the Asia-Pacific region when she responded to a mayday during the night from the 28,0
MBDA to supply surface-to-air missiles for new Philippine frigates
The Philippines defense ministry has awarded French defense contractor MBDA a contract to deliver surface-to-air missiles for its two José Rizal-class frigates currently under construction in South Korea. The contract is worth EUR 10.6 million (approx. USD 12 million) and will see the French company
Northrop gets $322.5m for AARGM-ER work
The US Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $322.5 million contract for the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) program. AARGM-ER program is leveraging the AARGM that is currently in production. The extended rang
Royal Navy frigate arrives in Japan on three-year deployment to Middle East
Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigate HMS Montrose arrived in Japan on March 8, becoming the fourth Royal Navy ship to visit the country in a year. HMS Montrose pulled into Tokyo for a six-day stay at Harumi Wharf before starting exercises with Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force and the US Navy’s Seventh Fl
Portuguese Navy’s fourth OPV arrives home for first time
NRP Setúbal, the Portuguese Navy’s fourth Viana do Castelo-class offshore patrol vessel, arrived at its homeport at Lisboa Naval Base on March 9. The ship arrived at the homeport after entering service in a ceremony at the West Seas shipyards in Viana do Castelo early February. The ship and crew are
USS Zumwalt begins first operational underway
The lead ship of US Navy’s Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers, the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), got underway from San Diego on March 8 to start its first operational underway. The underway represents a milestone for the new class of ships, of which only three will be built. Zumwalt’s crew recently c
Australian frigate seizes two tons of hashish in Middle East
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat seized two tons of hashish worth an estimated AU$100 million in street value during a boarding operation on February 28. This is the sixth seizure of narcotics by Ballarat during her current deployment to the Middle East, which she started in October last
Royal Navy destroyer gets underway for deployment with French aircraft carrier
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan departed her Portsmouth homeport on March 8 for a six-month operational deployment which will include high-profile cooperation with the French Navy. Duncan will spend the first part of the deployment in the Mediterranean Sea, providing air defense to the Fre
Former HMS Queen Elizabeth CO becomes Royal Navy’s new Fleet Commander
Several months after returning the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier from F-35B trials off the US coast, the ship’s commanding officer took up the new role of the Royal Navy Fleet Commander. The March 5 ceremony took place in Portsmouth on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, which Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd comm
US Navy establishes Columbia-class acquisition office
The US Navy has established a new entity that will oversee the construction and fielding of the 12 Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The establishment of Program Executive Office Columbia (PEO CLB) was announced on March 6 as the navy’s number one acquisition priority. “This is the Navy’s
US Coast Guard commissions 30th fast response cutter
The US Coast Guard commissioned its 30th fast response cutter (FRC), in a ceremony in San Francisco, California, on March 2. The USCGC Robert Ward is the second of four planned FRCs to be stationed in San Pedro. Robert Ward, the namesake of the cutter, served as a seaman 1st class on USS Joseph T. [
Search for lost Australian WWII destroyer Vampire underway off Sri Lanka
The search for the Royal Australian Navy’s sunken World War II destroyer HMAS Vampire is underway off the coast of Sri Lanka, with the navies of both countries contributing hydrographic assets to the cause. Nine sailors died when the destroyer HMAS Vampire sank after enduring an intensive Japanese a
Russian task group escorted through English Channel
A Russian Navy task group is being escorted through the English Channel as they head towards the Mediterranean Sea. The task group, composed of frigate Admiral Gorshkov and three auxiliary ships, are escorted by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender and Dutch Navy offshore patrol vessel HNLMS Friesl