44 navies embark on the largest naval exercise spanning the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
Navies from 44 nations are participating in this year's exercise, whose focus is to promote regional security through mine countermeasure operations.
Russian Mediterranean Naval Build-Up Challenges NATO Sixth Fleet Domination
By 20 August 2008 Moscow is flexing its muscles again in the eastern Mediterranean, and aims to reactivate old cold war naval installations with its ally, Syria. President Bashar Assad, on his way to the Kremlin to finalize what looks to become a high profile deal invited Russia to position surface/surface missiles on his land in response to US...
Shaldag MkII Fast Patrol Boat
Shaldag Mk-II class Fast Patrol Boat is the latest version of the original design, launched in 1989. Constructed of welded marine aluminum structure, 24.80 m long, and maximum beam width of 6 meters. The hull is shaped with smooth lines both above and below the water line, offering exceptional handling even at high sea state. The hull is divided...
Army NLOS Dead. Will the Navy Keep it Alive?
As the U.S. Army recommends terminating the NLOS-LS Weapon System, the Navy will have to keep the program alive, securing the principal surface weapon system of the Littoral Combat Ship Above: The LCS-2 Independence - the Precision Attack Missile (insert) is the principal surface attack weapon of this vessel.Photos: General Dynamics and Raytheon Following a review of its precision fires capabilities...
Next Generation AEGIS Missile
Three companies were awarded development contracts in 2010 to demonstrate conceptual designs for the Next Generation Aegis Missile (NGAM) – Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. While Raytheon, the manufacturer of all Standard Missiles has not been mentioned in relation to this future program it is likely that they will again partner with Lockheed Martin for this development. The...
Stennis Strike Group Steam West to Join the U.S. 5th Fleet
The USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Carrier Strike Group (JCSSG) entered the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility (AOR) Jan. 31. Stennis and the rest of the strike group, led by Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, is headed west to provide support for U.S. and coalition forces operating in the 5th Fleet and will support Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom,...
Navy Cancels Construction of 3rd Littoral Combat Ship
The Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced yesterday (April 12, 2007) terminated the construction of the third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 3), after the Department of the Navy and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) failed to reach an agreement on the terms of a modified contract after the Navy realized that the cost of the first Lockheed ship...
U.S. Navy Considers Deploying Combat UAV by 2018
The U.S. Navy is considering fielding a stealthy unmanned combat aircraft as part of a carrier strike group, as early as 2018. The Navy has recently published a request for information (RFI), a precursor for an acquisition process, calling for information on such concepts, optimized for irregular and hybrid warfare scenarios. The Unmanned Carrier-launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS)...
Iranian Military Conducts Offensive, Defensive Wargame at the Straits of Hormoz
Iran began today (April 22, 2010) a large scale exercise held in the Persian Gulf, south of the Hurmoz Straits. Public demonstrations held today simulated a naval assault on enemy landing craft. The assault began with a direct attack by a swarm of fast boats, attacking the target with anti-ship missiles and, by RPGs from very close range. This...
Next Generation AEGIS Missile – Missile Defense Roadmap
Photo above: Tichonderoga class missile cruiser CG 67 Shiloh fires a Standard Missile 3 on a missile defense test. Photo: US Navy In recent years the U.S. has increased its missile defense capability, with the introduction of enhanced capability Patriot (PAC-3) missiles, offering improved point defense against Short Range Ballistic Missiles. Sensors are also improved with AN/TPY-2 X-band radars providing detection...
LCS Warship Plan: When Does A Split Buy Make Sense?
The U.S. Navy is proposing a change in its plan to acquire a new class of warship called the Littoral Combat Ship. Until this week, the plan of record was to select a winning design from one of two competing teams, with the victorious team producing ten ships and then another source being selected in 2012 to produce five...
Next Generation Missiles – LRASM
Long Range Strike Missile The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth $157 million for the development of an advanced long range anti ship missile (LRASM). The new anti-ship missile and its associated systems will extend the effective attack range of Navy warships beyond current or projected enemy anti-air and anti-ship capabilities. The new...
Russia to build 12 nuclear-powered Leader destroyers
The Navy of Russia intends to order 12 advanced Leader destroyers. A half of them will be designed for the Northern Fleet, and another half - for the Pacific Fleet, officials with the Defense Ministry of Russia said. The lead ship of the new class will join the Russian Navy not earlier than in 2023-2025. The Leader will be presented...
Asian Navies to Invest $60 Billion Developing New Maritime Capabilities
The spending of Asian countries on naval procurement is expected to top $60 billion over the next five years, over what the whole NATO alliance (excluding the USA) is expected to invest in naval buildup. The biggest spenders in the region are expected to be China, Japan and South Korea, followed by India, Australia and Singapore. Closing the list...
