US defense company Lockheed Martin has contracted naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox for work on the functional design of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ships. A derivative of the US Navy’s Freedom-variant littoral combat ships, Lockheed Martin’s MMSC was selec
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 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
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and its carrier strike group will be the first to deploy in 2018, getting underway from San Diego on January 5. The strike group’s 6,000 sailors will deploy aboard four ships, including aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and the guided-missile
US Navy cruiser USS Lake Champlain is getting underway from Naval Base San Diego on January 4 to start a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser will deploy as part of the Carl Vinson Strike Group. Lake Champlain completed a six-month deplo
US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulled into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on December 28 for a final port call en route to her new homeport of Sasebo, Japan. Wasp departed Norfolk, Virginia, August 30, but was diverted to the Caribbean in the wake of hurricanes Irma and
The Royal Canadian Navy’s Resolve-class naval support ship Asterix has completed all trials and is en route to Canadian Forces Base Halifax where she will enter Royal Canadian Navy service and be operated by Federal Fleet Services Inc. According to Davie Shipbuilding, the company in charge of conver
The US Navy’s next generation of ballistic missile submarines could encounter cost overruns and unexpected delays caused by new and under-tested technologies, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has warned. GAO noted that additional development and testing on several Columbia-class subma
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) concluded a seven-month deployment to the US 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation, returning to its Naval Station Norfolk homeport on December 23. The ship departed May 23, to support anti-submarine exercises and operations in the Nor
The Brazilian Navy on Tuesday issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the construction of new Tamandaré-class corvettes. The RFP was announced at the Brazilian Naval Academy by defense minister Raul Jungmann and navy chief Admiral Eduardo Bacellar Leal Ferreira. Brazil is planning to invest US$1.6
The US Office of Naval Research has awarded General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems a contract to design and deliver an advanced permanent-magnet propulsion motor to be used on the US Navy’s large displacement unmanned undersea vehicles (LDUUVs). Over the next 18 to 20 months, GA-EMS will design, bu
The US Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $45.3 million contract to modernize the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68). The Anzio will undergo six months of work at the company’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, the ship’s homeport. The contract includes options that, if exercised, w
General Dynamics Electric Boat has awarded Newport News Shipbuilding a contract worth up to $468 million to begin work on integrated product and process development for the US Navy’s new Columbia-class submarines. Newport News Shipbuilding is a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries. The navy a
