The US Coast Guard (USCG) on June 25 accepted its 10th HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft outfitted with the Minotaur Mission System Suite. Integration was completed at L3 Technologies Inc. Integrated Systems Platform Integration Division in Waco, Texas.
On July 3, 2019, the French Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) ‘Saphir’ reached the port of Cherbourg in Normandie for decommissioning. After 35 years of service, ‘Saphir’ will be the first of six Rubis-class SSNs to be retired from active duty at the end of July 2019. The Rubis-class will be replaced by the new Suffren-class / Barracuda type SSN with the first submarine set for launch on July 12th at Naval Group’ shipyard in Cherbourg.
The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) took delivery of the fourth Metropolitan Offshore Support & Assistance Vessel (BSAM) on July 4th. Ordered in 2016 for the French Navy, the BSAM Garonne is the final ship of a class designed and built by the Kership shipyard.
At MAST Asia 2019, the defense exhibition and conference held last month near Tokyo, Japan, local company Mitsui E&S was showcasing for the first time the new expendable mine disposal (EMD) vehicle of the JMSDF.
The Finnish Navy US$1.2 billion Pohjanmaa-class corvette program is being delayed due to protracted contract negotiations, Major General Lauri Puranen revealed on June 27 through the Finnish Armed Forces official blog.
Yantar Shipyard, based in Kaliningrad, unveiled the preliminary design of the improved or follow-on Project 11711 Ivan Gren-class LST (Landing Ship Tank) for the Russian Navy.
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.
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.
