Vessels
Thales to update Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate communications
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded French defence company Thales a £19 (approx. $26.4) million contract to perform a mid-life update to the External Communications Voice Distribution and Management System (called KMY) for the Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate fleet. Known as KRS (KMY Replacement S
China commissions new guided-missile frigate
The Chinese Navy has received a new-generation indigenously-built guided missile frigate, the People’s Liberation Army official news site said yesterday, February 24. The new 140-meter long and 16-meter wide vessel was named Xiangtan, after a city in the Chinese Hunan Province. The report further sa
Bergen Group bags Norwegian frigate maintenance contract
Norwegian maritime services company Bergen Group Services has been awarded a one-year extension of the contract for the ship technical maintenance of the Norwegian Navy’s Fridtjof Nansen frigates. The company said the contract has an estimated value of NOK 70 (approx. $8.1) million. The project invo
HMS St Albans hosts Royal Marines for fast roping exercise
Royal Marines have tested their skills and know-how by fast roping from a helicopter onto HMS St Albans flightdeck. Using St Albans’ Merlin helicopter, one by one members of the ship’s Royal Marines Boarding Team (RMBT) carried out one of their most dangerous training exercises – descending from a h
Op Atalanta vessels make port call in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
On Saturday February 20, 2016 Operation Atalanta ships visited the Tanzanian port city Dar es Salaam. While in port, Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri, Op Atalanta Force Commander received the mission’s Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Jonas Wikström aboard the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Carabiniere. Thi
HMCS Winnipeg returns to Canada. Arrested sailors still in Japan
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg returned to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt on February 23 after an eight-and-a-half month deployment and participation in two international exercises. On Operation REASSURANCE, HMCS Winnipeg served with two Standing NATO Maritime Groups, supported NA
HMNZS Canterbury to support Fiji cyclone relief efforts
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully said that the Navy’s Multi-Role Vessel the HMNZS Canterbury would be sent to Fiji to support relief and recovery efforts following tropical cyclone Winston. According to a tweet by the Fiji government spokesman, 42 people were confirmed dead in the wake
HMAS Ballarat starts sea trials after upgrade
Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac class frigate HMAS Ballarat recently started sea trials in Cockburn Sound, Western Australia, after undergoing the Anti-Ship Missile Defence Upgrade. The sixth frigate of its class built for the Royal Australian Navy, Ballarat was the fifth vessel to proceed to mariner
RFA Fort Victoria shows off aircraft versatility
A Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker has proven to be the the ship of choice when it comes to multi-cab helicopter flight operations. Currently deployed to the Arabian Gulf as the Kipion Ready Tanker, RFA Fort Victoria has been operating with its own Squadron but also those of other squadrons and nations.
Op Sophia vessels rescue 475 persons off Libya
Multiple ships from EUNAVFOR Med’s Operation Sophia joined forces for the rescue of 475 migrants off the Libyan coast, February 20 and 21. Four rubber boats, one spotted by the Italian helicopter EH101 on Saturday and one by the Spanish air force aircraft VIGMA D-4 on Sunday, were in distress in int
Dynamic Manta 2016 starts off Sicilian coast
Ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from 8 Allied nations met on the Central Mediterranean Sea for Dynamic Manta 2016 (DYMA 16), NATO’s submarine warfare exercise which began February 22 off the Sicilian coast. Submarines from France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the U
Gallery: Mount Whitney departs Italy for operations
Images: US Navy The U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed the Italian port city Gaeta for routine operations in the Mediterranean Sea on February 22. While underway, the ship will conduct unit-level training, perform duties as the fleet command and contro
Rheinmetall, German army test laser effector on German warship
German military technology group Rheinmetall and the German Bundeswehr (army) recently tested a high-energy laser effector which was installed on a German warship operating on the high seas. To carry out the test, Rheinmetall mounted a 10-kilowatt high-energy laser (HEL) effector on a MLG 27 light n
Spanish OPV Atalaya deploys to West Africa
Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Atalaya (P-74) set sail from Ferrol, Spain for West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea in support of the Spanish Defense Diplomacy Plan. These deployments, organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD) and the Spanish Navy, are inte