Vessels
Heavy seas damage US Navy ship ahead of NATO drill Trident Juncture
Two US Navy ships were forced to return to Reykjavik, Iceland, after amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) was damaged in heavy seas while en route to Norway and exercise Trident Juncture. The ship was damaged on October 22 and is currently in Iceland for further assessment. The nav
Euronaval 2018: MBDA unveils naval version of MMP
Missile systems developer MBDA has unveiled a navalized version of the MMP 5th generation ground combat missile at Euronaval. MDBA said the decision to introduce the system follows the operational evaluation campaign carried out at the end of the summer by the French armed forces in Djibouti to conf
Dutch warship to join HMS Queen Elizabeth on first operational deployment
The Netherlands became the first UK ally to announce it would send a warship to join the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on her first operational deployment in 2021. The announcement was made on October 24 during the visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands to Downing Street. T
Australian Navy commissions first unmanned aircraft system squadron
The Royal Australian Navy hosted a commissioning ceremony at HMAS Albatross on Wednesday to mark the formal transition of the Naval Unmanned Aircraft Systems Unit (NUASU) to 822X Squadron. This is a major milestone in the Royal Australian Navy’s capability to operate unmanned aerial systems in the m
GDMS launches new Bluefin-9 UUV
General Dynamics Mission Systems unveiled its new Bluefin-9 autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at the Oceans 2018 event in Charleston, South Carolina. GDMS said the completely reengineered vehicle offers defense, commercial and academic customers highly-detailed subsurface data in minutes
Type 26 frigates to feature SCANTER radars
The Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates will be fitted with Terma’s SCANTER radars and Raytheon Anschütz naval radar software whose joint solution recently obtained the International Maritime Organization certificate. The Terma-Raytheon solution will help save space, cost, and training efforts because
Australia’s HMAS Launceston wraps up drill with Royal Brunei Navy
The navies of Australia and Brunei have completed the 18th series of bilateral exercise Penguin which took place off Brunei. The four-day exercise concluded October 22. Exercise Penguin was joined by Royal Brunei Navy’s Darussalam-class OPV KD Darulaman and Itjihad-class inshore patrol vessel KD Ber
Babcock lands Royal Navy aircraft carrier training contract extension
Engineering services company Babcock International announced on Wednesday that its Marine Training business signed a 36-month contract extension with the Royal Navy. The company also noted that the maritime training business is expanding to a new facility in Hampshire. The recently awarded Future Tr
Fourth Russian Karakurt-class corvette enters water
St. Petersburg-based Pella Shipyard launched the Russian Navy’s fourth Project 22800 Karakurt-class corvette in a ceremony on October 23. Having started construction in December 2016, ‘Burya’ – which translates to Storm in English – is the fifth Karakurt-class ship in line but the fourth to enter wa
France starts study phase for new aircraft carrier
The French defense ministry will launch a study phase to look into the replacement of the French Navy’s sole aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle, defense minister Florence Parly announced October 23 at the Euronaval conference. The minister said the study phase would span 18 months during which th
Naval Group, Fincantieri lay out 50/50 joint venture plans
Italy’s Fincantieri and French Naval Group have outlined plans for a possible future joint venture at the Euronaval conference taking place in Paris, France. The latest agreement is the result of a year’s work during which the two sides looked at ways of creating “a more efficient and competitive” E
Terma, Chemring sign soft-kill countermeasures cooperation deal
Danish Terma and UK-based Chemring Countermeasures announce they are teaming up to develop a complete soft-kill solution for surface unit defense. By integrating Terma’s C-Guard defensive aid suite and Chemring’s CENTURION fully trainable 130mm launcher, both capable of deploying a range of off-boar
Raytheon delivers RAM launcher for Mexican Navy POLA OPV
US weapon manufacturer Raytheon announced it has delivered a Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher for the Mexican Navy’s long-range off-shore patrol vessel (Patrulla Oceánica de Largo Alcance, or POLA). The RAM Block 2 supersonic, quick reaction, fire-and-forget missile to counter enemy anti-ship
Former experimental Royal Navy trimaran on sale in UK
A 98-meter experimental trimaran built for the Royal Navy in 2000 is currently being offered for sale by yacht brokerage Ocean Independence. The RV Triton spent over 15 years in service as a prototype demonstrator in the UK and later as a customs border protection vessel in Australia. It was designe