German Navy’s F124 air-defense frigate FGS Hessen will be joining a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group off the US east coast for joint drills. Hessen is scheduled to depart her homeport of Wilhelmshaven on January 15 and will be joined by a Norwegian frigate which will also be integrating into a
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) got underway from Naval Station Rota, Spain, on January 8, to start its sixth forward-deployed patrol in Africa and Europe. Ross completed its previous four-month patrol in July 2017. The 2017 patrol saw the destroyer take part
Sweden’s defense contractor Saab announced it will be demonstrating its AUV62-AT anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training system to the US Navy this year. The AUV62-AT is based on an artificial acoustic system that mimics a submarine. The US Navy will evaluate Saab’s AUV62-AT against its own systems th
The modernized Royal Navy frigate HMS Westminster was deployed on January 5 to keep watch on a Russian Navy task group transiting the English Channel and areas of UK interest, the Royal Navy said. The Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate remained at sea over the weekend to meet up with the Russian vesse
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan got underway from naval base Portsmouth on December 8 to start her deployment to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and the Royal Navy’s operation Kipion tasking. HMS Duncan is the first Royal Navy destroyer to deploy in 2018. The remaining five destro
The US State Department approved the sale of RGM-84L Harpoon Block II surface launched missiles, Block II Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) tactical missiles and MK 54 Mod 0 lightweight torpedoes to the government of Mexico. Mexico requested the systems, worth an estimated $98.4 million, for use on the
In an update on its acquisition programs for the Polish Navy, Poland’s defense ministry on December 29 said that three European contractors have been shortlisted for the country’s Orka submarine program. Poland is looking to acquire three new submarines to replace its remaining three, old Koben-clas
Finland’s Patria has contracted Swedish defense contractor Saab for work on the Finnish Navy Squadron 2000 mid-life upgrade program. The contract awarded to Saab is worth SEK 960 million (approx. US$117.7 million) with deliveries set to start in 2018. According to Patria, the total value of the upgr
Russian shipbuilder Yantar delivered the third Project 11356 frigate ‘Admiral Makarov’ to the Russian Navy after a series of prolonged acceptance trials. The main reason for the delay were problems with the frigate-launched Shtil-1 surface to air missile system which had been unstable during operati
The German defense procurement agency BAAINBw has reportedly returned FGS Baden-Württemberg, the lead ship of German Navy’s new class of F125 frigates, to the Blohm+Voss shipyard. According to a report in the German Kieler Nachrichten, BAAINBw has requested Blohm+Voss – which is part of the ARGE F12
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll recently carried out a test firing of the Sea Ceptor missile to verify the weapon system upgrade. The first firings of Sea Ceptor were conducted from HMS Argyll at the Hebrides range off the coast of Scotland and involved firing the system to assess its perfor
Finland’s defense minister on December 19 authorized the country’s defense forces’ logistics command to sign contracts for the upgrade of Hamina-class fast attack missile craft (FAC). The authorization follows the signing of a letter of intent and a pre-design activities contract with Patria Aviatio
The crew of US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) concluded the first port call of their forward-deployed patrol, departing Valletta, Malta, on December 12. USS Carney also became the first US Navy ship to moor in Valletta since 2014. “We are thankful for the hos
The Royal Navy’s submarine service achieved a major milestone recently as a Vanguard submarine completed the country’s 350th deterrent patrol. As the country’s ultimate weapon, submarine operations and movements are kept a closely guarded secret, but the ‘Silent Service’ has temporarily broken its s
