Vessels
Royal Navy commissions new survey ship HMS Magpie
The Royal Navy’s newest survey ship has been formally welcomed into the naval family in her home of Devonport. The commissioning ceremony for the new ship, named HMS Magpie, was held on June 28, 2018. Among the attendees was the Duke of Edinburgh, who was in charge of the previous Magpie between 195
Ship Zero: Australia investing AU$670m in Future Frigate hub
A new training and capability center at HMAS Stirling and Henderson which will support the Australian Navy’s new SEA 5000 frigates – to be built by BAE Systems – will benefit from an AU$670 million investment, the Australian government has announced. To be known as ‘Ship Zero’, the center will trans
Northrop Grumman boosts AQS-24B minehunting UAV with SeeTrack
Northrop Grumman and SeeByte have teamed up to incorporate mine hunting sensor data collected by the AQS-24B autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) into the SeeTrack system to enhance its autonomous target recognition (ATR) capability. “The merging of the unmanned surface vessel-based AQS-24B with the
BAE Systems picked to build Australia’s nine Future Frigates
BAE Systems has beaten its Spanish and Italian competitors in a bid to build a fleet of nine frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. The Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the decision on Friday. Once in Royal Australian Navy service, the frigates will be referred to as the Hunter-
RFA Mounts Bay helping British territories prepare for Caribbean storm season
After concluding international exercise Tradewinds 2018, Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay is touring British territories in the Caribbean region to help them prepare for this year’s storm season. The 2017 storm season was among the worst in recent memory with a succession of hurricanes batterin
US, Royal Navy test mine warfare forces in Persian Gulf
Mine countermeasure assets from the US and Royal Navy teamed up recently to test their skills during a major exercise in the Persian Gulf. The Royal Navy’s entire presence in the Middle East was engaged in Mine Countermeasures Exercise 18-2, designed to see how the navies of Britain and the USA can
Polish, US Navy partner for first cooperative hydrographic survey
The US Naval Oceanography’s Fleet Survey Team (FST) and Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC) recently joined the Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise for an opportunity to develop interoperability with European allies in mine countermeasure operations. FST and the Hydrographic Support Squa
French Navy commissions L’Astrolabe, 8 months after it deployed on operations
The French Navy has officially commissioned its newest ice-breaking and polar patrol vessel L’Astrolabe, nine months after receiving it and eight months after sending it on an astral summer mission to Antarctica. As explained, the French Navy puts it newbuilds through two phases of testing. The firs
US State Department approves Aegis for Australian Future Frigates
The US State Department has approved a potential sale of Aegis combat system equipment for the Royal Australian Navy’s new SEA5000 frigates. The approved $185 million sale would include equipment associated with the integration of the Australian CEAFAR 2 phased array radar system with the Lockheed M
Raytheon gets $29m for work on US Navy LOCUST UAV prototype
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded Raytheon a $29.7 million contract for work on the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) innovative naval prototype (INP). As its name indicates, the LOCUST project is aimed at developing a system for the deployment of small, low-cost swarming UAV
India, Bangladesh start first coordinated patrol
The navies of India and Bangladesh kicked off their first ever coordinated patrol (IN-BN CORPAT) from the Bangladesh port city of Chittagong on June 25. The Indian Navy sent frigate INS Satpura and corvette INS Kadmatt to take part in the patrol. Bangladesh contributed frigate Abu Bakr and corvette
US Navy chief visits Norwegian, UK counterparts
The US Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson has visited Norway and the UK to strengthen maritime partnerships and international relationships. While in Norway from June. 24 to 26, Richardson was hosted by his counterpart, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy Rear Adm. Nils Andreas Stens
JAGM cleared for low rate initial production
The Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) system has successfully passed its Defense Acquisition Board review and achieved milestone C, missile developer Lockheed Martin has announced. The signed acquisition decision memorandum approves the JAGM system to enter into low-rate initial production (LRIP).
HII partners with Virginia state for hiring drive
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division has entered into an agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia to support its major hiring initiative. Gov. Ralph Northam announced June 26 that various state agencies and regional community colleges would work with Newport News to a