A frigate, four to six reconnaissance aircraft, and aerial replenishment of French fighter jets will be the German contribution to the French fight against ISIS. The German government appropriated these assets one day after the meeting between the French President Francois Hollande and the German Ch
The Italian light aircraft carrier ITS Garibaldi joined the EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia Task Force in the Central Mediterranean taking over the role of mission flagship from ITS Cavour November 25. Having left her home base port of Taranto (Italy) last June 26, only 4 days after the mission launch
290 migrants were rescued at sea from three dinghies off the coast of Lybia on November 24. With the contribution of the Spanish aircraft Cisne10 Orion P3, that spotted one of the dinghies during a patrol and surveillance flight, the German supply ship FGS Berlin and the British frigate HMS Enterpri
Exercise FLOTEX-15, organized by the Spanish Navy, will be conducted in the Gulf of Cadiz, Strait of Gibraltar, Alboran Sea and the Western Mediterranean. Participating units include 20 surface ships, 1 submarine, a Marine Corps Landing Force and different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft; a total of
U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft embarked on Royal Navy’s HMS Ocean transferred Royal and US Marines ashore Corsica during a simulated beach assault which rounded off Exercise Blue Raptor. The soldiers from Arbroath-based 45 Commando Royal Marines have been working with their US colleagues for the
A new Polar Logistics Vessel being built for Terre Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF) and the French Polar Institute (IPEV), and which will be operated by the French Navy, is scheduled to be delivered in the first half of 2017. The 72-metre polar logistics and patrol icebreaker vessel will
UK’s new defence plan envisions the commissioning of new Type 26 Global Combat Ships from the mid-2020s, upgraded maritime helicopters and the new aircraft carrier in operating capability by 2020. This plan is backed with a £178 B budget which represents a £12 B increase on previous plans. The Natio
German sailing ship SSS Gorch Fock will sail into Wilhelmshaven on Wednesday, November 25. The ship left its homeport in Kiel 90 days ago with the goal of preparing 226 midshipmen for their future duties. During this time, the white three-mast sailed 5.590 sea miles, 80 % of which was on sail. Looki
The Northern Fleet large anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Vice Admiral Kulakov, finished passing the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea into the Red Sea on November 20. Prior to entering the Red Sea offshore ocean zone, the crew of the Udaloy-class destroyer conducted training on damage control
Britain’s newest warship, HMS Duncan, spent a week in the Black Sea with the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies. Fresh from operations in the Gulf, the ship sailed through the Bosphorus to work with NATO allies. Operating off Burgas, Bulgaria, and Constanța, Romania, the destroyer carried out training ma
The UK Ministry of Defence awarded Bae Systems a £1.3 billion contract to build the fifth Astute-class submarine for the Royal Navy on November 19. The full contract covers the design and remaining build, test and commissioning activities on Anson, the fifth of seven technologically-advanced submari
Belgian frigate Leopold I said farewell to the European Task Force EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA after 38 days of activity in the Mediterranean Sea. The crew, composed of 158 sailors, including 9 women, provided support to Operation Sophia. They ran on duty within a Task Force composed of 8 naval un
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, France sent its carrier strike group — GAN, with the nuclear-powered FS Charles de Gaulle as flagship to the Middle East for the second time this year. This deployment is part of a mission called Arromanches 2 and represents the eighth deployment o
German frigate FGS Augsburg will set sail for the EUNAVFOR Med Operation Sophia to join the already employed German replenishment ship FGS Berlin on Friday, November 20. Lead by Commander Senior Grade Jorg Mascow, the crew of Augsburg, together with the replenishment ship FGS Berlin, will be the Ger
