September 2020 news

Naval Forces, Defense Industry, Navy Technology, Maritime Security


Germantown, part of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven (ESG 7), along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Graivoron Buyan-M-class corvette of project 21631 built for the Black Sea fleet sailed out for the first time for factory running trials, the Defense Ministry announced on Sept.22: “The warship tests the power plant, the steering mechanism, auxiliary units, communication, navigation and other systems, as well as seaworthiness”.

According to a video released on the Official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia on September 20, 2020, the Navy has taken delivery of the second and third batches of French HS132 fast interceptor boats during a ceremony that was held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The delivery comes as part of an agreement with the French CMN shipyard for the construction of 39 boats.

According to a press release published on September 18, 2020, The technical launch of the first-in-class patrol vessel (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) “Musherib”, ordered to Fincantieri by the Qatari Ministry of Defence within the national naval acquisition program, took place on September 18, 2020, at the Muggiano (La Spezia) yard, at the presence of the Italian Minister of Defence Lorenzo Guerini, of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Qatar Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, of the Chief of Staff of the Qatari Emiri Navy Maj. Gen. Abdulla Hassan Al Suleiti. 

As part of the Kavkaz-2020 strategic command and staff exercise (SCSHU), the mine-sweeping groups of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla have carried out mine action support for the deployment of forces and groupings in sea areas. The mine-sweeping forces carried out escort behind the trawls of warships and support vessels, as well as a combat exercise in setting and sweeping sea mines.

According to a press release published on September 21, 2020, ECA Robotics, a French subsidiary of ECA GROUP, has recently signed a contract worth several hundred million euros. This contract comprises the outsourcing to its Belgian subsidiary ECA Robotics Belgium of the manufacturing and delivery of unmanned vehicles dedicated to underwater mine countermeasures as part of the renewal of the mine countermeasures capacity of the Belgian and Dutch Navies.

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