|
|
NAVAL NEWS APRIL 2024
Navy Forces Naval Maritime Defense Security Industry |
|
|
|
|
According to a PR published by Kongsberg Maritime on April 18, 2024, the firm has been awarded a contract to provide advanced propeller systems for Damen Naval's forthcoming series of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates. This marks the second instance within the last 18 months where the two companies have joined forces.
According to a PR published by Anduril Industries on April 17, 2024, the Royal Australian Navy, collaborating with the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), and the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), has announced the successful early delivery of the first prototype of the "Ghost Shark." This prototype is part of a project to develop three extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles (XL-AUVs).
According to information published by the UK MoD on April 12, 2024, the UK's Royal Navy is set to equip its warships with the state-of-the-art DragonFire laser system by 2027, five years.
According to a PR published by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries on April 17, 2024, the company has successfully clinched the largest-ever defense export deal for a South Korean company in Latin America, involving the construction of four naval ships for Peru. The contract, valued at approximately 6,406 billion KRW (4,5 billion $), was signed with the Peruvian state-owned SIMA Shipyard.
According to information published by Fincantieri on April 15, 2024, Navy officials, government leaders, and industry representatives gathered to celebrate the keel laying of the future USS Constellation (FFG 62).
According to information published by HII on April 15, 2024, Ingalls Shipbuilding division handed over the amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) to the U.S. Navy. This event, held at their Pascagoula facilities, marks the completion of the 13th San Antonio-class ship and the transition from Flight I to the next series of vessels.
According to information published by the US DoD on April 11, 2024, during a trilateral exercise involving the US, South Korea, and Japan, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Howard (DDG 83) were seen sailing next to USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
According to information published by MarineSchepen on April 13, 2024, the deployment of the Belgian Karel Doorman class frigate Louise-Marie to the Red Sea has been delayed indefinitely following a malfunction during a training exercise.
According to informaiton published by Kyiv Post on April 16, 2024, the Kronos submarine, built by Emirati company Highland Systems, is currently being tested.
On April 10, 2024, Kongsberg Maritime was selected by the American shipbuilder Austal USA to supply their Promas propulsion systems for the fifth ship in the United States Coast Guard's new Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program. The vessel, named the US Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Pickering, marks the first in this class to be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.
According to a PR published by Piriou on April 16, 2024, the Piriou Group delivers the third and final Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) 58 S, named CAYOR, to the Senegalese Armed Forces in Concarneau, France. The delivery ceremony saw the presence of dignitaries including His Excellency El Hadji Magatte Seye, the Ambassador of Senegal to France, and Admiral Abdou Sene, Chief of Staff of the Senegalese Navy.
Ukraine is set to extend the operational range of its Neptune anti-ship missile system from 300 km to 1000 km and increase its production by ten times. This announcement comes following a November 2023 meeting between the US Congress National Defense Strategy Committee and the Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industries.
On April 14, 2024, Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyers deployed Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors for the first time to counter an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel. This operation, conducted in the Eastern Mediterranean, involved the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and USS Carney (DDG-64), which fired between four and seven SM-3s to intercept the Iranian ballistic missiles. This marks the first combat use of the SM-3 interceptors, as confirmed by defense sector sources.
On April 12, 2024, the UK Ministry of Defence announced an acceleration in the deployment of the DragonFire laser weapon systems on Royal Navy vessels. Initially scheduled for 2032, the installation of this technology will be advanced to 2027, following the implementation of new reforms in defence procurement procedures.
On April 9, 2024, the Philippine Navy successfully conducted tests of the new Spike NLOS (non-line of sight) missile system aboard one of its FAIC (fast attack interdiction craft) platforms. The test, which took place in Mariveles, Bataan, was successful, with the system precisely hitting a target over 20 kilometers away.
On April 11, 2024, The Whiskey Project Group (TWPG), an Australian manufacturer of tactical and specialized boats, announced having delivered the first two 11-meter Whiskey Bravo multi-mission reconnaissance (MMRC) boats to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) at the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton, Southern California. These vessels were officially accepted by the Marine Corps War Fighting Lab (MCWL) and are extensively utilized by reconnaissance Marines to accommodate and test various mission-specific payloads.
On April 9, 2024, Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, announced that it had conducted tests of its "Fast Adaptation and Learning for Control Online" (FALCON) control architecture on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. These tests are part of an effort to enhance the autonomy of naval operations, focusing on underway replenishment (UNREP) and navigation in complex scenarios like the Suez Canal.
The Guyana Defense Forces (GDF) and French manufacturer OCEA S.A. have signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the acquisition of an oceanic patrol vessel. Priced at $42 million, the agreement includes the purchase of a Model 190 offshore patrol vessel.
On April 11, 2024, two Sandown Class minehunter ships recently transferred from the Royal Navy to the Ukrainian Navy docked in Portsmouth to participate in a series of multinational naval exercises. The ships, renamed Cherkasy and Chernihiv, left their previous base in Scotland, marking a key step in the UK's support for the modernization of the Ukrainian Navy.
After a five-month "intermediate maintenance unavailability" [IEI], the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has been ramping up its power for several weeks now. It is now ready to be deployed again with its carrier strike group [GAN or TF473]. On April 26, 2024, it will depart from Toulon for a short mission focused exclusively on the Mediterranean, deliberately avoiding the Red Sea to prevent escalation with the Houthi rebels, who target commercial traffic near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
