Vessels
HNLMS Karel Doorman returns from NATO operation Sea Guardian
Royal Netherlands Navy multi-purpose amphibious ship HNLMS Karel Doorman returned to her homeport in Den Helder on June 8, concluding a two-month deployment to the NATO-led operation Sea Guardian. HNLMS Karel Doorman supported the operation with 300 people on board. In addition to the helicopter det
US Navy contracts GDBIW for DDG 51 lead yard services
The US Navy has awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works a contract to provide lead yard services for the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer program. The contract was announced June 8 and is valued at $49.8 million for the first year with four option years, with a total contract value of $
Peruvian Navy commissions landing platform dock B.A.P. Pisco
The Peruvian Navy commissioned its first landing platform dock ship B.A.P. Pisco in a ceremony Callao on June 6. Pisco is the first of two ships in its class built by state-owned shipbuilder SIMA (Servicios Industriales de la Marina S.A.) for the Peruvian Navy. The LPD started trials shortly after i
Singapore, Thai navies stage drill in Gulf of Thailand
Ships from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) are underway in the Gulf of Thailand as part of a week-long exercise called Singsiam. The bilateral exercise is hosted by Thailand and is set to conclude on June 9. Warships are taking part in conventional warfare training
US Coast Guard picks Insitu to deliver sUAS for national security cutters
The US Coast Guard announced it has awarded a contract to Insitu Inc. to deliver small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for the service’s national security cutters (NSCs). Installations of sUAS on NSCs are planned at a rate of about two per year, the coast guard noted adding that the total value of
Malabar 2018 underway off Guam
Ships, submarines and aircraft from Japan, US and India have kicked off the 22nd edition of the now trilateral naval exercise Malabar. The exercise runs from June 7 through June 16. Malabar 2018 is the first time the exercise has been conducted off the coast of Guam, and the latest in a continuing s
Australian Navy ships arrive in Vanuatu to support volcano response
Royal Australian Navy ships deployed as part of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18) program arrived in Vanuatu for their deployment’s first port visit. Before entering Port Vila on Wednesday, oiler HMAS Success completed officer of the watch manoeuvres with the Vanuatu Police Force vessel RVS To
Royal Navy tests newly-delivered autonomous minesweeping system
The Royal Navy has recently tested its first autonomous minesweeping system in Dorset, South West England, evaluating its performance against modern mines. Autonomous motor boat Hussar can be sent off on missions, using a series of small, hi-tech boats trailed behind it to detonate the latest underw
US Coast Guard receives 29th FRC ‘Forrest Rednour’
Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the 29th fast response cutter (FRC), Forrest Rednour, to the US Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. The cutter will be the first FRC stationed in San Pedro, California, and will be commissioned this fall. Petty Officer 2nd Class Forrest Rednour, the cutter’s namesake,
Propeller damage sidelines German corvette from BALTOPS drill
German Navy corvette FGS Erfurt was prevented from taking part in the US Navy-led BALTOPS drill in the Baltic Sea after damaging her propeller in an earlier exercise. Erfurt had been part of the NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) since February this year and was close to the end of her deploymen
Japan orders third E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Northrop Grumman Systems has received a contract to build the third E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and attack aircraft for the government of Japan. According to a Pentagon announcement from June 5, Northrop received $153.2 million for the construction of the aircraft which is expected to be com
First British F-35Bs arrive home
The Royal Navy and Air Force welcomed their first F-35B Lightning II fighter jets as they landed at RAF Marham in Norfolk on June 6. The aircraft arrived in the UK following a one-day delay caused by adverse weather conditions over the Atlantic which complicated the necessary aerial refueling proced
Attack submarine USS Columbia returns from Western Pacific deployment
The crew of the US Navy’s Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) returned to their Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam homeport in Hawaii on June 6. Columbia spent the past six months in the Western Pacific conducting operations and exercises in support of national security. Cmdr.
BAE Systems gets $36.6m for USS Cole overhaul
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded BAE Systems a $36.6 million contract for the modernization and maintenance work on the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). The Cole will undergo one year of extensive work at the company’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia,the ship’s homeport. The con