The US State Department has approved a potential sale of five Aegis shipsets for the Spanish Navy’s new F-110 frigates. A contract for the construction of five frigates is expected to be awarded this year and Navantia is already working on some elements of the ships’ systems and design. The potentia
Over fifty ships and submarines from 26 nations gathered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam for the start of the world’s largest naval drill – RIMPAC 2018 – which kicked off June 27. Taking place in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise is s
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) returned to operations after concluding a four-day port visit to Marseille, France, on June 25. While in Marseille, Truman sailors welcomed more than 150 French guests aboard for a reception, June 23, including US Ambassador to the French Republi
The US Navy has officially received the Virginia-class submarine Indiana (SSN 789) from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division. The future USS Indiana (SSN 789) was delivered to the navy on June 25 as the 16th submarine in its class built as part of the teaming agreement w
A Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) failed to leave the MK. 41 vertical launch system after the rocket booster burned out while the missile was still inside its canister during a live-firing drill conducted by German air defense frigate FGS Sachsen. Nobody was hurt during the accident, the German Navy said
The US Office of Naval Research recently awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $2.6 million contract to start work on developing a prototype torpedo propulsion system under the agency’s Torpedo Advanced Propulsion System (TAPS) program. The primary goal of the program is to improve the engine efficiency of t
US Navy ships from the amphibious ready group assembled around USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) got underway from Morehead City, North Carolina, June 21, to start the navy’s first East Coast surface warfare advanced tactical training (SWATT) exercise. In addition to Kearsarge, ships taking part in the first Ea
The US Navy has identified the pilot who died in the crash of an A-29 Super Tucano aircraft at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, on June 22. The pilot was identified as Lt. Christopher Carey Short, from Canandaigua, New York. Short died when the A-29 aircraft he was piloting crashed while on a mi
US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) wrapped up a seven-month deployment to the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation, returning to its homeport of San Diego on June 21. While deployed, Higgins conducted security, stability, and freedom of navigation operations, observed foreign mili
US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) has arrived in Marseille, France, two months into its deployment to Europe and Africa. The aircraft carrier entered Marseille on June 21 for a regularly scheduled port visit. Truman’s France visit comes shortly after the carrier’s
German maritime technology firm Atlas Elektronik and Thales Deutschland have been contracted to deliver combat systems for the five new K130 corvettes that are to be built for the German Navy. In addition to combat systems, the contract will see the two companies set up and deliver a test and traini
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS has been awarded a 220 million NOK (approx. US$26.8m) contract to deliver its Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to the navies of Germany and Norway. The contract was awarded to Kongsberg by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency following a February 2017 agreement between No
US Navy littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) started the underway operational testing phase of the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. The latest set of trials began June 15, off San Diego. The operations are a continuation of MQ-8C operational testing that began in April. This next phase is
Personnel from the US and Royal Thai Navy completed the 24th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise in Pattaya, Thailand, June 21. CARAT Thailand 2018 involved over 3,000 military personnel from the US and Royal Thai Navy conducting nearly a dozen exercises at sea, over tw
