Ultra Electronics Holdings plc and Sparton Corporation, the two companies in charge of manufacturing sonobuoys for the US Navy, walked away from their merger after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) expressed its concern over the matter. As reasoned by the DOJ, the merger – originally valued at more
UK’s defense procurement minister Guto Bebb on March 6 informed MPs that the UK defense ministry received the treasury approval to award a construction contract for the Royal Navy’s seventh Astute-class submarine. Negotiations are still ongoing, it was noted, and the new contingent liabilities assoc
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) entered a dry dock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton on March 1, officially starting a 15-month overhaul. The carrier shifted from its homeport pier at Naval Base Kitsap to start the docking planned incre
US Navy ships from the USS Essex (LHD 2) amphibious ready group (ARG) got underway from Naval Base San Diego on March 5 to start the first Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise conducted by an ARG. The exercise is focused on advanced tactical training at sea to improve warfight
The Royal Canadian Navy welcomed today MV Asterix, an auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessel, to its fleet. The acceptance ceremony was held onboard the newbuilding at NB Jetty, CFB Dockyard Halifax. MV Asterix will be operated and managed by Federal Fleet Services as part of a five-year contrac
Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha has arrived in Canada where she will undergo combat management system upgrades at Seaspan’s shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia. The 25-day passage to British Columbia was marked by a brief port visit in Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor where Te Kaha and her crew
The wreck of one of the first US Navy aircraft carriers has been located on the floor of the Coral Sea, 500 miles off the eastern coast of Australia. The USS Lexington was discovered 3,000 meters (about two miles) below the surface by the expedition crew of research vessel (R/V) Petrel on March 4 –
US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sailors and personnel are all set for seven days of bilateral exercises as part of exercise MultiSail 2018 which starts March 8. MultiSail is an annual bilateral training exercise that improves interoperability between US and Japanese forces. In
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga made another drug interception in the Arabian Sea intercepting eight tonnes of hashish aboard two vessels. The drugs, worth an estimated AU$400 million, were seized during an operation on March 3. Warramunga has now seized 19.5 tonnes of hashish and 1.5
The US Navy and US Coast Guard on March 2 released a request for proposal (RFP) for the advance procurement and detail design for the Coast Guard’s heavy polar icebreaker (HPIB) under an integrated program office (IPO). The RFP has options for detail design and construction for up to three HPIBs. A
Kuwait’s Marine surveillance department has contracted Spanish shipbuilder Freire Shipyard to build a new 42-meter fisheries surveillance patrol vessel. The contract for this patrol vessel came into force in February 2018, Freire announced, and the vessel is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth q
US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) has wrapped up the navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) material inspection (MI). INSURV inspectors evaluate ships against navy standards to determine their overall combat readiness. INSURV is congressionally mandated for all navy ship
Three of Britain’s five ships permanently based in the Gulf joined the Americans and French as guests of the sultanate for the 23rd iteration of Khunjar Hadd (‘Sharp Dagger’). Minehunters draw their daggers in Omani exercise which tests the ability of the Omani Navy to work with warships from other
South African defense procurement agency ARMSCOR has finalized negotiations with South African Shipyards (SAS) for the construction of a hydrographic survey vessel as part of the navy’s Project Hotel. The agreement was finalized in February 2018, a year after SAS was selected as the preferred bidder
