The fourteenth and final F-35B Lightning II to be delivered to UK this year rolled off the production line and flew into Beaufort, South Carolina, to join the Lightning Fleet which will be operated jointly by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The F-35 Lightning jets will be able to operate on land
The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Fasan has returned home from a five-deployment to the EUNAVFOR counter-piracy operation Atalanta. Fasan and her 133 crew departed the mission earlier this month and entered their homeport in La Spezia on December 18. During her time off the coast of Somalia, the
The US Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries an initial $63 million contract to repair and restore the damaged destroyer USS Fitzgerald. After being selected to perform the repairs in August and receiving a $29.4 million planning contract in October, the Mississippi-based shipbuilder is now
The Royal Malaysian Navy held a keel-laying ceremony for its third Gowind-based littoral combat ship on December 18. The ceremony which took place at the Boustead Naval Shipyard marks the official start of construction works. The vessel is named KD Raja Mahadi and will bear pennant number 2503. Also
Sailors aboard the US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) and ship repair personnel in Singapore concluded ten days of repairs works on the destroyer, making sure it is ready to continue its operational deployment. The voyage repair availability took place in Singapore and was comple
US Navy littoral combat ship USS Little Rock officially entered service following a commissioning ceremony on the Buffalo River on December 16. Little Rock (LCS 9) is the navy’s fifth Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), designed and built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
Dutch steel-construction manufacturer Ravestein has delivered a new caisson to the UK Royal Navy for installation at Portsmouth Naval Base. With the new caisson in place, the naval base has reopened the former “14” dry dock for the first time since 2002. Reopening this dock takes the base capability
Taking a break from her Atlantic patrol duties, Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay stopped in Bermuda on December 15 for a three day visit. The ship has been deployed to the region to provide humanitarian and disaster relief for the UK’s Caribbean overseas territories and Bermuda. This year RFA Mounts
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a $135.8 contract for work on the development and integration of the Aegis Baseline 9 systems for Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyers. The Baseline 9/BMD 5.1 variant is referred to as J7 for Japanese destroyers. The contract award
The Peruvian Navy officially marked the beginning of construction works on its second Makassar-class landing platform dock (LPD) ‘Paita’ with a keel-laying ceremony on December 14. The ceremony took place at the SIMA shipyard in Calao and was led by Peruvian defense minister Jorge Nieto Montesinos.
The Royal New Zealand Navy has decommissioned its tanker HMNZS Endeavour after almost 30 years of service. The decommissioning ceremony took place at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland on December 30. HMNZS Endeavour flew her white ensign for the last time earlier this month as she entered Auckland Ha
South Korea has completed the design phase of a new 5,200-ton submarine rescue ship, the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on December 15. The project of developing a new submarine rescue ship, dubbed ASR-II, was initiated in November 2015 together with South Kore
HMAS Canberra, one of the two biggest ships in the Royal Australian Navy, on Friday hosted a grand ceremony which saw 1,500 officers and sailors take part in the Australian Fleet’s 2017 Ceremonial Divisions. Sydney Harbour provided the backdrop as personnel from East based ships and shore establishm
US Navy sailors from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 12 joined their German Navy counterparts for two weeks of EOD training missions at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Nov. 27 through Dec. 11. EODMU 12 and their German counterparts conducted training evolutions
