Ships from the US Navy’s Wasp amphibious ready group made a stop in Okinawa, Japan, on March 15 following two weeks of certifications. Amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived at White Beach, Okinawa, to embark the 31st Marine Expeditiona
The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded US-based aerospace and defense contractor Orbital ATK a $67,5 million contract for the delivery of GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target missiles. The contract includes base vehicles and spares for the US Navy and Qatar, and D6AC long lead steel
The newest Virginia-class attack submarine, USS Colorado (SSN 788), will be commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London on March 17, 2018, the US Navy said. USS Colorado is the 15th Virginia-class attack submarine to join the fleet and the fifth of overall eight Block III submarines. Block III s
The US Navy’s froward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) got underway from Spain, to start a patrol in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. The destroyer’s seventh patrol started on March 12, as the ship and crew departed Naval Station Rota. Donald Cook wi
The US Navy named its 76th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in honor of Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Navy Cross recipient Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher. In 1966, Gallagher, who immigrated from Ballyhaunis, Ireland in 1962, joined the Marine Corps where he served in H-Company, 2nd Batt
Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland got underway for the first time since 2016 after undergoing a major refit. The frigate was delivered to the crew by shipbuilder Babcock in October 2017 and is now starting trials and training evolutions before returning to operations. The 24-year-old fri
After concluding a historic visit to Vietnam on March 9, US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson started a bilateral exercise with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier JS Ise. Carl Vinson and JS Ise are joined by US destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), which is part of th
The Royal Australian Navy concluded exercise Ocean Explorer, its largest fleet training activity for 2018. The exercise concluded on March 11 as ten ships and their embarked aircraft returned to Royal Australian Navy Base HMAS Creswell. “Most importantly it has seen more than 2,000 men and women fro
Italian-based defense contractor Leonardo has unveiled its new OTO Marlin 40 naval turret at the 2018 edition of Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX) in Qatar. The new OTO Marlin 40 is a system designed for fast, lightweight vessels and suited for anti-missile defense
The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned its first 25DD destroyer JS Asahi in a ceremony on March 7. The 5,100-ton destroyer was handed over to JMSDF by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard in Nagasaki on March 7 and the destroyer reached its permanent homeport in Sasebo a
The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) returned from a deployment to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on March 7. Tucson successfully completed a six-month Western Pacific deployment while conducting operations in support of national security. This deployment was the first fo
The US Navy has officially started Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018 in the Arctic Ocean. The exercise was kicked off with the construction of temporary Ice Camp Skate and the arrival of two US Navy fast-attack submarines and one UK Royal Navy submarine on March 7. ICEX 2018 is a five-week biennial exercise
US Navy’s Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) arrived off the coast of Israel on March 6 to take part in exercise Juniper Cobra 2018. Although Iwo Jima and the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will not participate directly in the ballistic missile defense portion of
US Navy ships from the USS Essex (LHD 2) amphibious ready group (ARG) got underway from Naval Base San Diego on March 5 to start the first Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise conducted by an ARG. The exercise is focused on advanced tactical training at sea to improve warfight
