May 2018 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


Boeing inducted the first F/A-18 into the Service Life Modification program, which will modernize and extend the life of the U.S. Navy Super Hornet fleet. The Super Hornet, which returned to Boeing St. Louis in early April, received a warm welcome during a ceremony on May 4 attended by U.S. Navy representatives, local elected officials and Boeing employees.

Thales is pleased to announce that the first Sea Fire radar for the French Navy’s FTI future medium-size frigates programme is now in production. The Sea Fire is fully solid-state multifunction radar with a four-panel phased array antenna. It is designed for roles ranging from ship self-defence to extended air defence, providing protection from conventional, asymmetric and emerging air and surface threats.

Since early April, nearly 350 French Navy sailors and their aircraft are deployed in the Norfolk area, home of the Carrier Air Wing 8. As the first (land-based) phase of Chesapeake mission 2018 comes to an end, the Marine Nationale (French Navy) released several pictures showing how its "sailors of the sky" maintain their skills and confirm their high level of interoperability with their American allies.

The German Navy has acquired the AeroVironment Puma maritime unmanned aircraft system. The Puma systems will include the Mantis i45 sensor and pocket Remote Video Terminal (p/RVT). AeroVironment partnered with ESG to satisfy the requirement of the Bundesamt fur Ausrustung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) for an urgent operational requirement.

Two reliable GE LM2500 marine gas turbines now power the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces (JMSDF) newest destroyer JS Asahi (DD119). This first of two new destroyers in the JMSDF’s Asahi-class destroyer program was recently commissioned by the JMSDF. The ship was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) at its Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Japan.

Critical design work on the Royal Australian Navy’s Future Submarine Program will move to South Australia from 2022, fueling more local jobs and investment. The 12 new submarines will be constructed in Adelaide, utilizing a national supply chain and ensuring this $50 billion initiative is completed with Australian expertise.

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