The 11-day NATO exercise Dynamic Mariner/Flotex-19 concluded on October 18 off the coast of Spain. The exercise brought together 32 surface ships, 2 submarines and 18 air assets, including Maritime Patrol Aircrafts and helicopters. Maneuvers ranged from mine countermeasures, anti-submarine, surface
Royal Navy base Portsmouth is now ready to welcome the second of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers after works on a new jetty were successfully completed. HM Naval Base Portsmouth will now be able to berth both Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers side-by-side in a £30 million investment to e
The navies of Finland and Germany kicked off a mine countermeasure exercise in the Gulf of Finland on October 16. The two-day drill is designed to enhance the interoperability between the two countries’ explosive ordnance disposal divers. Participating units from Finland include the minehunter MHC V
The Philippine Coast Guard’s future offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang has passed its first sea trials, the French shipbuilder in charge of delivering the vessel announced. The milestone was achieved three months after the OPV was launched by OCEA at its Les Sables d’Olonne site. Hailed as t
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Odessa, Ukraine, for a port visit as part of its deployment to the Black Sea. The ship arrived at the port on October 13 with five Ukrainian officers on board observing sea-and-anchor operations. These operations e
The defense ministers of Greece and France have signed a letter of intent that will pave the way for further talks about Greece’s acquisition of French-designed Belharra frigates. French defense minister Florence Parly announced the document signing with her Greek counterpart Niko Panagiotopoulos on
The Polish Navy’s second Kormoran II-class minehunter was launched in a ceremony at Remontowa Shipbuilding on October 10. Albatros (hull number 602) was launched a little over a year after a steel-cutting ceremony marked the start of the ship’s construction in September 2018. In addition to the Alba
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has welcomed first British F-35B jets on board during its operational trials off the East Coast of the US. The arrival of British F-35Bs follows successful developmental trials last year with US Lightning jets, where forces conducted 500 take offs and
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose and French Cassard-class frigate FS Jean Bart made another drugs bust in the Arabian Sea operating as part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150. The suspicious dhow was initially located by FS Jean Bart’s helicopter and boarded by a team from the French ship
Navy ships taking part in the Royal Navy-led exercise Joint Warrior got underway from Faslane, Scotland, this week to start two weeks of drills in Scottish exercise areas. A dozen NATO nations are taking part with 16 warships, three submarines and nearly 60 aircraft, set to attend. Overlapping with
The multi-national exercise Dynamic Mariner/ Flotex-19 (DYMR/FL19) that gathered 18 NATO allies kicked of off the coast of Spain on October 7. Maneuvers will range from mine countermeasures, through anti-submarine, surface and anti-air warfare, and air operations to amphibious and force protection o
A Russian Navy task group composed of frigate Yaroslav Mudryy, tanker Yelnya and the seagoing tug Viktor Konetsky has transited the English Channel under the watchful eye of Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey. The Neustrashimyy-class frigate and her escorts made the transit en route to the
The frigate is said to have ran aground during preparations for an amphibious assault drill.
The Italian Navy has hosted another dual-ship decommissioning ceremony as it proceeds with its plans for the downsizing and modernization of an ageing fleet. Maestrale-class frigate ITS Euro and the patrol ship ITS Aviere, which was initially destined for Iraq, bowed out of service in a ceremony at
