By Antonio Bufis A few days ago we heard that the Chinese Carrier Strike Group, headed by PLA Liaoning, successfully completed its training in combat at sea.  A training operation that lasted more than 20 days, and saw China’s Carrier Strike Group carry out their operations in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, entering the western Pacific waters through the Miyako Strait and conducting a series of exercises there too. China knows that in order to compete internationally it needs to develop a navy capable of protecting its national interests. Although there is a single national strate ..read more

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) has marked a key milestone for Marine Corps history as they departed San Diego Bay with Carrier Air Wing Nine aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as the first Marine squadron to deploy the F-35C on an aircraft carrier. “The Black Knight’s deployment of F-35C Lightning II aboard USS Abraham Lincoln is the newest chapter in the Marine Corps’ long history of naval integration,” said Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, 3rd MAW commanding general. The upcoming deployment represents years of hard work and innovation by the Mar ..read more

U.S. 5th Fleet ships seized approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel during a flag verification boarding in accordance with customary international law in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 20. U.S. Navy patrol coastal ships USS Tempest (PC 2) and USS Typhoon (PC 5) found the weapons during a search conducted by embarked U.S. Coast Guard personnel. The illicit weapons and ammunition were later transported to guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77) where they await final disposition. The stateless vessel was assessed to have origina ..read more

By Mahmoud Gamal On the sidelines of the second edition of Egypt International Defense Exhibition EDEX-2021, the Egyptian military-owned Alexandria shipyard announced that the construction process of the fourth and last Egyptian Navy MEKO A200 frigates has started at the company’s construction facility in Alexandria, in cooperation with the Germany-based Thysskenkrupp (TKMS). Egyptian MEKO A200 frigate at the Alexandria shipyard pavilion in EDEX2021 The Egyptian MEKO A200 frigate will be considered as the most advanced version of its type in terms of the integrated equipment and weaponry ..read more

The first of 12 Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels – NUSHIP Arafura – was launched yesterday at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia, Australia Ministry of Defence announced. First Assistant Secretary Ships Division, Sheryl Lutz, said the Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels were one of the foundational projects in the 2017 Naval Shipbuilding Plan. “Luerssen Australia is contracted to build twelve offshore patrol vessels, two at Osborne Naval Shipyard in Western Australia and ten at Henderson Maritime Precinct in Western Australia.,” Ms Lutz said. Building the first two ..read more

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Indian Navy (IN), and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) conducted the 3rd Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) from 15 to 16 November 2021 in the Andaman Sea. The exercise involved the RSN Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious, the IN Kora-class corvette INS Karmuk, and the RTN Khamronsin-class corvette HTMS Thayanchon. As the host for the exercise this year, the RTN led the conduct of the contactless, at-sea-only exercise. The participating ships executed maneuvering drills, communication exercises, and naval warfare ..read more

On Thursday 16 December in Lorient, the Naval Group laid the keel of the first defence and intervention frigate ordered by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) and destined to the French Navy. This step marks the beginning of the assembly of the ship in the construction hall. The frigate will be delivered in 2024. It is the first of a series of five ships to be delivered between 2024 and 2030. On the same day, the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM), the integrated mast of the FDI, was also powered up. This important milestone symbolizes the start of the testing of the frig ..read more

Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) conducted a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration, Dec. 14, while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Navy. During the demonstration, the Solid-State Laser – Technology Maturation Laser Weapons System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mark 2 MOD 0 aboard Portland successfully engaged a static surface training target. Portland previously tested the LWSD in May 2020 when it successfully disabled a small unmanned aerial system while operating in the Pacific Ocean. The Office of Naval Research selected Portland ..read more

Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Material Organisation (FMV) for the next phase of the life extension program of Torpedo 62. The order value is SEK 145 million (16 million USD) and deliveries will take place by the end of 2023. The order includes pre-studies and engineering which incorporates subsystem prototypes for improvements of the current torpedo. “This order helps to develop a more capable torpedo system for the future. We are looking forward to continue evolving one of the Swedish Navy’s main weapon systems,” says, Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynam ..read more

NATO ships have concluded the Greek-led maritime exercise NIRIIS 2021. Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) took part in Exercise Niriis 21 in the Mediterranean Sea, with more than 15 ships, submarines, and other vessels, from November 22 to November 30. SNMG2 composed of the Flagship, ITS Virginio Fasan, ROS Regina Maria, BGS Drazki, and FGS Spessart, and SNMCMG2 consisting of Flagship ESPS Rayo, ESPS Segura, and HS Evropi, joined units and ships from the host nation consolidating the combat capabilities of the particip ..read more