Vessels
Audit: Australian multi-billion shipbuilding plan carries extreme risk
Australian government’s $89 billion program to develop new ships and submarines carries a high to extreme level of risk, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) warned in its recent audit. The shipbuilding program for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) encompasses new submarines, major surface comb
US Navy adding solar power to its Hybrid Tiger UAV
The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will be adding solar technology to its Hybrid Tiger unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as it seeks to achieve a flight duration of over three days for the system. NRL has awarded Alta Devices a contract to deliver its light-weight solar technology for the UAV. Alta
US Navy lays keel for future USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118)
US shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the US Navy’s future Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) on May 14. Irene Hirano Inouye, the ship’s sponsor and wife of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, was in attendance to authe
Korean Navy’s second amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado hits the water
The Republic of Korea Navy has launched ROKS Marado, its improved Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction shipyard in Busan. The ceremony took place Monday and was hosted by South Korean defense minister Song Young-moo. According to the Defense Acquisition Prog
US Navy picks Vigor for repair work on USS Sampson
The US Navy has awarded a $42.2 million dollar contract to Vigor for repairs and changes to the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102). Work on the USS Sampson will be done in Seattle and Everett and may include blasting, painting and surface preparation. Under the deal, work on the ship’s f
SNMG2 stops in Georgia after concluding Romanian-hosted Sea Shield exercise
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) arrived in Poti, Georgia, on May 14 after concluding their participation in the Romanian-hosted Black Sea exercise Sea Shield 2018. During the four-day port call to Poti, the ships’ crews will join Georgian Border Police for drills aimed at incre
Pearl Harbour-based destroyer Halsey returns from carrier strike group deployment
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on May 14, concluding a seven-month deployment with the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group (TRCSG). Halsey departed Pearl Harbor October 16 to deploy to the US 5th and 7th Fleet
HMAS Warramunga completes repairs in Bahrain
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga and her combined engineering support team (WCEST) have recently completed a scheduled maintenance period in Bahrain. It is only the second time an engineering support team has been deployed to the Middle East region and follows the success of last year’s
UK allocates funds for seventh Astute-class submarine ‘Agincourt’
The UK defense secretary is set to announce a £2.5bn investment for new Royal Navy submarines during his visit to BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria on Monday. According to the UK defense ministry, the investment includes £1.5bn for the construction of the seventh Astute-class sub
Navies test interoperability in Gulf of Aden
As part of the mission to ensure maritime security in the Gulf of Aden, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have conducted a large-scale Focused Operation in conjunction with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR). The operation, known as Three Arrows, started on May 1, 2018, with warships from Japan, Spain
Keel laid for second US submarine named after nuclear navy pioneer
The US Navy laid the keel for future Virginia-class submarine Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795) in a ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut, on May 11. The initials of the submarine’s sponsor, Darleen Greenert, were welded onto a steel plate that will be permanently affixed to the subma
Chesapeake 2018: French Rafale jets are flying from USS George H.W. Bush
After arriving from France to US early April, French Rafale jets have now joined the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) for a combined Chesapeake 2018 exercise. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) and French Carrier Air Wing (Groupe Aerien Embarque) departed Norfolk May 7
Australian frigate seizes heroin on deployment’s 11th drug haul
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga has seized 295 kilograms of heroin from a vessel in the Arabian Sea. Following the detection of a suspect vessel in the Arabian Sea by Warramunga’s Seahawk Romeo helicopter, a boarding party search uncovered a number of packages containing heroin. After
John C. Stennis carrier strike group completes group sail
US Navy ships from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3 have completed a group sail maneuver, working together for the first time in over two years. Led by aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), the CSG included Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) and ships from Destroyer