The head of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) alerts that the Navy’s modernization efforts might get side-lined due to costly acquisition of new, multirole fighter jets from USA.
Naval Group is set to begin construction on the Defense and Intervention Frigate (FDI) with a first steel cutting ceremony expected to take place in mid-October at the shipyard in Lorient. The FDI is the next generation of surface combatant for the French Navy.
Babcock International, the Aerospace and Defence company, has successfully completed Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) of the Air Weapons Handling System (AWHS) for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, designed for BAE Systems.
Together with seven other countries, Belgium signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the NATO Maritime Battle Decisive Munitions (MBDM) program in order to achieve the same objective in the maritime field, the Belgian Defense Directorate General Material Resources (DGMR) announced today.
Naval Group hosted the French Minister for the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, to celebrate the end of work on the sixth and final ASW variant multi-mission frigates “Normandie”. The event was also a celebration for the beginning of the manufacturing of the FREMM frigates with reinforced air defense capabilities (FREMM DA) and of the Defense and Intervention Frigate (FDI), the first fully digital warships.
In October 2018, during the last edition of Euronaval, Dassault Aviation unveiled a scale model of what could become the Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) or Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF). This first model displayed a tailless delta-winged aircraft clearly inspired by Dassault’s Rafale. Despite its presence in a naval exhibition, this plane soon raised questions about its ability to operate from an aircraft carrier, or even to act as an air superiority fighter.
According to pictures released on Boeing UK & Ireland Twitter account, the first Poseidon MRA Mk.1 (P-8A) Maritime Patrol Aircraft being built for the RAF is now painted and undergoing pre-flight preparations for its maiden flight.
Austal USA delivered its 10th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) to the U.S. Navy. The future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) will be the 18th LCS to enter the fleet.
The Indian Government on June 20 issued an Expression of Interest(s) for shortlisting potential Indian Strategic Partners for the Indian Navy Project 75(I) submarine program.
A report published by Indian daily newspaper Business Insider indicates that the Indian Navy refused to commission INS Khanderi, the second of the Scorpene-class submarine, because of its noise level. According to Naval Group, such reporting does not reflect facts.
