May 2020 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


The Russian Navy is reinforcing its naval group in the Mediterranean Sea. Two new submarines with Kalibr cruise missiles joined it. Other warships are to arrive. The Mediterranean group is reinforced on the background of the escalating civil war in Libya and the tanker war in the Gulf, the Izvestia daily writes.

Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) asked the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency to find a way to make it easier for the Alliance's maritime assets to exchange unclassified information with outside organizations on a 24/7 basis. The Agency delivered in April a public cloud-based solution to allow NATO and non-NATO organizations and vessels to share maritime awareness information on an easily-accessible platform.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. (GDEB), Groton, Connecticut, is awarded $60,594,296 for a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide U.S. Trident II Strategic Weapon System (SWS) ship alterations and United Kingdom SWS ship alterations for Strategic Systems Program shipboard integration installations.  Work is expected to be complete by April 2024.

French Company ECA Group has been awarded a significant export contract to modernize robots dedicated to naval mine warfare. The ECA Group is renowned for its expertise in robotics, automated systems, simulation and industrial processes. Ever since 1936 it has been developing complete innovative technological solutions to perform complex missions in hostile or restrictive environments.

Panama City, FL, Eastern Shipbuilding Group reports that steel cutting for the second offshore patrol cutter (OPC) Heritage-class, Coast Guard Cutter CHASE (WMSM-916), commenced on April 27, 2020 at Eastern’s facilities. The cutting of steel started the fabrication and assembly of the cutter’s hull, and ESG is to complete keel laying of CHASE in 2021. Additionally, ESG has commenced the placement of orders for long lead time materials for OPC #3, Coast Guard Cutter INGHAM (WMSM-917).

The Lithuanian Navy is looking to expand its fleet of Skalvis-class Mine Counter Measures (MCM) vessels with the procurement of a third hull to be overhauled and upgraded. It will probably be the HMS Quorn, which patrolled the seas as part of the Royal Navy fleet of Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels (MCMVs) until 2017.

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