Vessels
France starts construction of five FTI frigates
French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday authorized shipbuilder DCNS to start the construction of five FTI (Fregate de Taille Intermediaire) medium-size frigates for the French Navy. The 4,000-tonne front-line frigates, equipped for anti-submarine warfare with widened self-defence and
Indian Navy tests BrahMos land attack missile
The Indian Navy announced it has carried out a maiden firing of the land attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This missile has been in service with the Indian Army since 2007 but this is the first launch of the missile from an Indian Navy ship. The navy said BrahMos was fired fro
Video: German F 125 frigate tests RAM, Harpoon missiles
The German Navy recently shared a video of its giant 7,000-ton frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg conducting further firing tests. This is the second video of the lead ship of a new class of F 125 frigates firing its weapons in the North Sea’s Helgoland shooting range. The previous one showed the Baden-W
UK MoD awards MBDA £539M in missile contracts
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded missile manufacturer MBDA a total of £539 million worth of contracts for delivery of new and service of existing missiles in the UK armed forces. More specifically, the contract will see MBDA deliver the Meteor air-to-air missiles for the F-35B jets that will o
Work begins on Royal Navy’s fifth River-class offshore patrol vessel
Works on the Royal Navy’s fifth follow-on River-class offshore patrol vessel began with a steel cutting ceremony on Friday, April 21. Tony Douglas, head of UK’s defense procurement organisation, pressed the button to cut the first sheet of steel for the HMS Spey at BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Sco
US Coast Guard receives 23rd fast response cutter ‘Benjamin Dailey’
The U.S. Coast Guard received its 23rd fast response cutter (FRC), Benjamin Dailey, in a ceremony in Key West, Florida, on April 20. The Bollinger Shipyards-built FRC will be stationed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is scheduled for commissioning in July. The cutter will be the first FRC stationed
South Korea joins anti-piracy drill in Gulf of Aden
A South Korean Navy ship already patrolling the Horn of Africa as part of an EU-led task force was sent to participate in an international anti-piracy drill that took place in the Gulf of Aden. The Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong joined U.S., Japanese and Royal Navy warships i
GD gets $13M for US and UK Trident work
The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $13 million contract for work on the U.S. and UK Trident II submarine launched ballistic missile programs. Under the contract, which is potentially worth $46 million if all options are exercised, General Dynamics will perform alterations on
US Navy cruiser arrives in Norway
U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) made a stop in Haakonsvern, Norway, en route to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. The cruiser arrived in Norway on April 20 after departing its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, March 27. “Port visits such as this are unco
Italian Navy receives sixth FREMM frigate
The Italian Navy received its sixth FREMM frigate from Fincantieri during a ceremony held at the shipbuilder’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard on April 20. The Carlo Bergamini-class frigate Luigi Rizzo is the second general-purpose variant with the previous four vessels being built for the anti-submar
New K130 corvettes too expensive for German defense ministry
Germany’s accelerated acquisition of five additional K130 corvettes could get stalled following a report that shipbuilders Lürssen and Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems set the price too high. The shipbuilding duo is asking €2.9 billion for the five corvettes and two training facilities for corvette-oper
Dutch Navy’s largest ship returns to sea after engine repairs
HNLMS Karel Doorman, the largest ship in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy, has taken to sea again after receiving a new engine during a reparation that lasted for almost a year. The amphibious, multi-function support ship returned to the Den Helder base in April last year with a broken engine
Video: Russian frigate tests Shtil-1 missile during acceptance trials
Admiral Makarov, the third Project 11356 frigate built for the Russian Navy at the Yantar shipyard, is currently being tested before being delivered to the navy. The frigate was launched in September 2015 and recently took to sea for the final phase of the navy’s acceptance trials. Admiral Makarov p
Australian Navy MATV completes sea trials
The Australian Navy’s Multi-role Aviation Training Vessel (MATV) MV Sycamore has completed sea trials, Dutch shipbuilder Damen announced. MV Sycamore was built at Damen’s Vietnam shipyard and will now be prepared for her maiden voyage to her home port of Sydney, Australia, where she is expected to a