OCTOBER 2020 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


According to a joint media release published by Australian Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC on October 30, 2020, the Morrison Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program has reached a new milestone as the Kingdom of Tonga received their second Australian-built Guardian-class Patrol Boat VOEA Ngahau Koula (P301) at a ceremony in Henderson, Western Australia.

The Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) performs divisional tactics with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) while conducting integrated operations. USS McCain is assigned to Destroyer Squadron Fifteen (DESRON 15), the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.

According to information published by the Russian press agency TASS on October 29, 2020, the latest Pantsir-M air defense missile system onboard the Odintsovo corvette of project 22800 successfully repelled a massive air and cruise missile strike. It downed all targets at various distances. Experts believe the launchers will make Russian warships a difficult target for airstrikes, the Izvestia daily writes.

According to a video released on Youtube by CCTV China on October 27, 2020, after 10 months of training, the first Chinese-made aircraft carrier Shandong also called Type 002 continues to strengthen the research of tactics and training methods. The ship was launched on 26 April 2017 for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

According to information published by the U.S. Navy on October 23, 2020, the first-in-class amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) from the U.S. Navy participated in advanced combined operations with Japan this week in the western Pacific Ocean. She conducted integrated air defense operations on October 20, 2020, with F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the Japan Air Defense Command.

According to a contract published by the U.S. Department of Defense (dod) on October 26, 2020, Lockheed Martin is awarded a $193,980,348 contract modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the production and delivery of four MH-60R naval helicopters and exercises a $13,980,348 option to procure three airborne low-frequency sonars in support of the government of Greece.

According to information released on the Twitter account of Austal on October 20, 2020, Austal USA started the fabrication of the U.S. Navy’s newest Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, the future USNS Cody (T-EPF 14). The start of fabrication signifies the procurement of materials and components, and the shipyard’s ability to begin fabrication on the hull.

According to a contract released by the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) on October 26, 2020, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Company, Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $550,372,323 modification contract for Lot IV low rate initial production and delivery of six CH-53K helicopters and associated aircraft, programmatic and logistics support, rate tooling and physical configuration audits.

The RAPIDFire 40mm gun system developed by the consortium formed by Thales and Nexter has been chosen by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) to equip future French Navy vessels with new artillery. This new innovative and versatile close-in weapon system will provide the Navy’s surface vessels with an effective close-in defence capability against modern air and surface threats.

According to news published by the Tele-Visual Infolink website on October 26, 2020, the keel laying ceremony of the third MILGEM class corvette for the Pakistani navy was held on October 26, 2020, at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW). Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey, H.E Mr. Hulusi Akar, Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production, Ms Zubaida Jalal and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi attended the ceremony.

According to information published by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), on October 26, 2020, the United States State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of up to one hundred (100) Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.37 billion.

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