Three new service family accommodation flats were opened in Portsmouth Naval Base on January 9. The official opening was attended by defence minister Mark Lancaster, naval base commander Commodore Jeremy Rigby and the chief executive of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) Robert Robson.
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mahan fired three warning shots at Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels after they came within 800 meters of the ship on January 8. The incident took place in the Strait of Hormuz and involved the U.S. Navy destroyer and four Iranian vessels,
The UK Ministry of Defense has signed a five-year deal worth £271 million with Leonardo Helicopters to continue support work on the Wildcat helicopters. The MOD hailed the deal as one that would sustain approximately 500 jobs, primarily at Leonardo’s facilities in Yeovil and Royal Naval Air Station
Royal Navy’s River-class patrol vessel HMS Mersey is preparing to return to the UK from what will be a lengthy 13-month deployment. A remarkable achievement considering the fact that the ship has a company of just 52. The patrol vessel left Portsmouth in January 2016, heading for the Caribbean befor
The U.S. Navy bid farewell to Ray Mabus, the navy’s longest serving secretary since World War I, in a ceremony in Washington on January 6. During his eight-year tenure, Mabus led the navy through a period of often controversial changes with social and energy reforms at the forefront. Seeking to mini
Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Clyde recently entered the dry dock for her fist dry-docking period in five years. The patrol ship has been almost constantly on duty in and around the Falkland Islands since her last overhaul in 2011. Those patrols have taken their toll of the hull and machinery inside,
Royal Navy’s Sea King Mk7 airborne surveillance and control helicopters have joined HMS Ocean in the Gulf to practise in preparation for Merlin helicopters that will succeed the Sea Kings as the carrier’s ‘flying eyes’. After years over the sands of Afghanistan – where their radars proved vital in t
Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Arunta visited Bahrain for her first port visit after starting operations in the Middle East. The visit provided an opportunity for Arunta’s boarding parties to hone their skills for future patrols and train with the United States Coast Guard and agen
The U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division has contracted ManTech International Corporation for test and evaluation (T&E) support to its weapons and combat systems. According to the company, the cost-plus-fixed-fee task order has a 12-month base period of performance and four 12-month o
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair a $75.1 million contract for USS San Antonio (LPD 17) fiscal 2017 docking phased maintenance availability (DMPA). According to the U.S. Department of Defense, this availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization, and rep
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its carrier strike group are among the first units to withdraw from Syria as Russia reduces the number of forces deployed. Russia’s chief of general staff of the armed forces, General Valery Gerasimov made the announcement stating that the order came fr
A former lead ship in a class of Royal Navy’s mine hunting vessels has joined NATO’s standing mine countermeasures group as an Estonian Navy vessel. Estonian minehunter EML Admiral Cowan (M313) was formerly known as HMS Sandown and served the Royal Navy from 1989 to 2005. Sandown and two more vessel
German Navy’s Rhön-class tanker FGS Spessart will join NATO’s standing maritime group 1 (SNMG1) this month. The 130-meter ship is scheduled to depart its homeport in the naval base Kiel on January 11. The ship is expected to join other SNMG1 units on January 13 in Oslo, Norway. A change of flagship
The U.S. Navy accepted its 50th P-8A Poseidon (P-8A) maritime, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida on January 5. The Navy’s Poseidon is replacing the legacy P-3 Orion and will improve an operator’s ability to efficiently conduct anti-submarine warf
