DECEMBER 2019 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


Lockheed Martin recently signed a contract with Navantia to equip five new F-110 multimission frigates and their land-based test site (Centro de Integración de Sistemas en Tierra or CIST) – with Lockheed Martin’s first naval installation of its solid-state S-band radar. The new F-110 frigates will be built by Spain’s national shipbuilder, Navantia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a series of meetings on military buildup and called to increase Navy capabilities. He said specific attention should be paid to warships and submarines armed with hypersonic Tsirkon missiles in order to preserve strategic stability. Warships with Kalibr missiles should receive the new weapon. Upgraded big antisubmarine warfare ships of project 1155 will be also armed with Tsirkon, the Izvestia daily writes quoting Navy sources.

On November 29, the christening of a patrol ship for the Dutch National Police took place at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. This vessel is the first in a series of a total of six ships. Following a European tender, Damen was contracted to build three Stan Patrol 2005 vessels for inland waterway operations in addition to three sea-going Stan Patrol 2506 vessels. The first vessel, an SPa 2506, will be called P41.

18 years after the keel-laying ceremony, the ORP Ślązak patrol corvette has been finally commissioned. The patrol ship will be part of the Battle Ship Squadrons of the 3rd Ship Flotilla. In total 97 sailors will be serving ORP Ślązak. On Thursday, November 28, the ORP Ślązak patrol vessel has received the MW flag in Gdynia War Port.

On an unseasonally fine December day in the eastern Atlantic, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s carrier battle group forms up one last time for the camera – just days from home. Slipping into the battle group for the second time alongside HMS Northumberland and tanker RFA Tideforce is the Norwegian Navy’s newest frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl as the Westlant 19 deployment ends as it began: a spot of NATO action.

The Admiral Kasatonov first serial frigate of project 22350 fired Kalibr and Onix missiles in the White Sea, the Defense Ministry said. The frigate began trials on November 20 and will continue them in the White Sea for several more days.

During the Assises of the maritime economy that took place yesterday in Montpellier, the President of the French Republic has announced the order of six new patrol boats. This program will complete the renewal of patrollers stationed overseas for the surveillance of our maritime areas, in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Reunion. Delivery is expected to be honoured between 2022 and 2025.

Damen Shipyards Group and VSTEP Simulation, a leading provider of training simulation technology, have joined forces to establish a laboratory to explore innovative new simulation solutions. The aim of the partnership is to develop software that will extend the capabilities of VSTEP’s existing NAUTIS Maritime Simulation platform into engineering applications and so open up new research and development possibilities for Damen’s numerous R&D programmes.

The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded a nine-ship -- eight with Virginia Payload Module (VPM) -- Block V contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) Dec. 2. The contract includes an option for one additional submarine with VPM. The Block V contract is a $22.2-billion fixed-price incentive fee, multi-year procurement contract for fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

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