Defence Equipment News

Team Resolute, a consortium comprising BMT, Harland & Wolff, and Navantia UK, has secured a contract worth £1.6 billion (currently around $1.97 billion) to deliver three naval support ships for the UK Navy.Harland & Wolff Group said Wednesday that, further to its announcement on November 16, 2022 regarding the award of preferred bidder status, the formal contract signature of the manufacture contract for the £1.6 billion Fleet Solid Support Programme (FSS) had  taken place between Navantia UK Limited (Navantia) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD)."Creating 1…

Harland & Wolff's Appledore site in the UK's southwest has won a £55 million (around $65 million) contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS Quorn. "On behalf of the Lithuanian Government, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the contract that will see HMS Quorn renovated and restored, bolstering NATO maritime capability in Europe," the UK Ministry of Defence said Thursday."Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, laid out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, the regeneration will support 100 jobs at the south-west shipyard.

German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp is in talks about possibly merging its subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) with a domestic rival to create a national champion.The Thyssenkrupp board member in charge of the marine systems unit, Oliver Burkhard, tweeted earlier that the company was in talks as an alliance could make sense in the current European market environment, with the creation of a national champion one possible outcome.The tweet followed a report by public sector…

British shipbuilding company Cammell Laird has welcomed the first Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel, RFA Tidespring, to its Birkenhead shipyard as part its GBP619mln deal to maintain nine vessels over the next 10 years.The 39,000 tonne Tide-class tanker RFA Tidespring is now moored for its inaugural docking period.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced in October 2018 that Cammell Laird had been chosen to provide support to all four Tide class tankers – RFA Tidespring, RFA Tiderace, RFA Tidesurge and RFA Tideforce – following a competitive two-year tender process.At the same time the company was awarded a second 10-year contract that will see it continue to provide support for the vessels RFA Fort Victoria…

The MOD has agreed to sell HMS Ocean to the Government of Brazil after 20 years of service. Sold to the Brazilian Navy for around £84M ($117m), the profit generated from the sale will be reinvested in defence at a time when the Royal Navy is being strengthened with two types of brand new frigates and two huge aircraft carriers. HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will eventually take on the role as the nation’s new flagship, recently set sail from the port of Gibraltar carrying two Chinooks and four Merlin helicopters as she readies for helicopter trials at sea.

Admiral Vladimir Korolev, Commander-in-Chief, Russian Federation Navy along with a four member Russian Navy delegation is on an official visit to India from 15 to 18 March 2017. The visit aims to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and Russia, as also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation. During his visit, the Commander-in-Chief of Russian Navy held bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy. The Admiral is also scheduled to meet the Hon’ble Minister of Defence, the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chief of the Army Staff and the Defence Secretary as part of his official engagements in New Delhi.

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is planning to stop taking new orders for large passenger ships, downsizing its shipbuilding operations due to a slump in orders, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday. The plans by Japan's fourth-largest shipbuilder come as new shipbuilding orders have declined 80 percent so far this year, the Nikkei said. Citing unidentified sources, it said the company was considering splitting off its planning and design division and sharing shipyards with other companies. A spokesman for Mitsubishi Heavy, which also builds aircraft and defence equipment, said the report was not based on information provided by the company and declined further comment.

Japan and the Philippines have begun talks for the transfer of two large coast guard ships to Manila, to help patrol the disputed South China Sea, a Japanese foreign ministry official said on Friday, as part of a deal on defence equipment. The two brand-new 90-metre (295-ft) multi-role response vessels will be in addition to ten 44-metre (144-ft) mid-sized coast guard ships, worth 8.8 billion pesos ($188.52 million), that Japan is set to start delivering next week. "Both governments are looking into the possibility of getting two more vessels, this time the bigger ones," Masato Ohtaka, deputy spokesman of Japan's foreign ministry, told journalists in Manila.

Vietnam has asked Japan to provide vessels to strengthen its coastguard, a Japanese official said on Thursday, in the latest sign of growing ties among the states locked in maritime rows with China. The request emerged during talks between visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, a Japanese spokesman said. "Vietnam wants new vessels," Masato Otaka told reporters, adding that timing, methods of delivery, costs and quantity of vessels had not yet been decided. Vietnam has been modernising its military, and recently bought six advanced Kilo-class submarines from Russia. Russia and India are the main source of advanced weapons, training and intelligence cooperation.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may consider a request from the Philippines for large coastguard ships to patrol the disputed South China Sea, after the two allies reached a deal on defence equipment and technology. China has overlapping claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines is the Southeast Asian nation most at odds with China over the South China Sea. Tokyo has no claims in the waterway, but worries about China's growing military reach into sea lanes through which much of Japan's ship-borne trade passes.

India and Japan have discussed a specialized 24-nation maritime construct to enable real-time sharing of data of all shipping including merchant and naval warships, operating in the Indian Ocean, parts of the Pacific Ocean and disputed waters of the South China Sea. Indian Defence minister Manohar Parrikar called on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Monday, his first overseas trip since being appointed in November. Parrikar also met his counterpart Gen Nakatani as part of the 29 March-1 April visit. “A strong India-Japan partnership is not only in the national interest of the two countries but is also important for peace and security in the region,” defence ministry said in a statement, citing Abe.

Severe vibrations and shocks of up to 9G over an average of 1000 hours per year. That’s what instructors of fast small ships such as the Fast Raiding, Interception and Special Forces Crafts (FRISC) currently have to endure. But that will soon become a thing of the past. In two years’ time operators of these types of craft will be trained using a Fast Small Ship Simulator (FSSS). That’s just one of the many advantages that will accrue when the FSSS prototype becomes available as a result of the project started today.

The two-and-a-half-year £70 million  contract will protect around 100 highly skilled engineering jobs at BAE Systems in Portsmouth, the home port of the Royal Navy’s 6 Type 45 destroyers and future home of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, informs the UK Ministry of Defence. Further jobs will be sustained in the company’s wider supply chain. The contract will ensure the effectiveness of these complex and capable warships is maintained, ensuring they are fit to operate effectively around the world. "This £70 million contract is good news for Portsmouth. "Our Type 45 destroyers are the largest and most powerful the navy has ever had, featuring state-of-the-art equipment and weapons systems.

The UK Government's Ministry of Defence (MOD) informs it has awarded millions of pounds worth of new contracts to maintain its 1,450 strong fleet of small boats. The fleet of boats includes offshore raiding craft, pontoons up to 50 metres in length, police launches, and Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boats (RIBs), and inflatables. Six UK companies will benefit from a 5-year contract that will involve support for 1,450 boats used by the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police. The contracts will provide maintenance, upkeep, repair, chartering, defect rectification, technical support, provision of spares and replacements.

Australia and Japan will create a framework pact to cooperate on military technology, the two countries said on Wednesday, a move that could pave the way for Japan to supply stealth submarine designs and components to Australia. The agreement came during talks between Australian Defence Minister David Johnston and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and their Japanese counterparts, Itsunori Onodera and Fumio Kishida, in Tokyo. "Ministers confirmed the substantial conclusion of negotiations on an agreement for cooperation in the field of defence equipment and technology," the countries said in a joint statement. "We see ourselves as natural partners in many ways," Australia's Bishop told reporters after the meetings.

US says not planning to rebuild old bases or construct new ones. Obama says goal is not to contain China while Philippines' Aquino says Chinese shouldn't be concerned. President Barack Obama said a new military pact signed with the Philippines on Monday granting a larger presence for U.S. forces would bolster the Southeast Asian country's maritime security, but was not aimed at countering China's growing military might. The agreement, which will have an initial 10-year term, was touted as the highlight of Obama's first visit to the Philippines, the United States' oldest ally in the region. It sets the framework for a beefed-up rotation of U.S. troops, ships and warplanes through the Philippines, part of a rebalancing of U.S. resources towards fast-growing Asia and the Pacific.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has signed a £20 million contract to buy equipment for the Royal Navy's 3 new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). The contract will enable BAE Systems to begin work on the engines & gearboxes, etc. that need to be ordered in advance. During a visit to the company’s shipyards on the Clyde in Scotland, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Philip Dunne announced that MOD has committed £20 million to the programme. The OPVs will not only provide an additional capability for the UK but also…

HMS Duncan, the Royal Navy’s sixth Type 45 Destroyer, has entered into service from BAE four months ahead of schedule. The 7,500 tonne vessel will now embark on a program of trials to prepare the ship and her crew for operational deployment. HMS Duncan is the final Type 45 to enter service with the Royal Navy. Her handover to the Fleet marks the end of a 13-year build programme with BAE Systems to deliver the six ships – Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan.

The Ministry of Defence is looking for ideas on how best to preserve the legacy of the Royal Navy's Invincible-Class aircraft carriers.The last of the ships, 'HMS Illustrious', is due to retire in late 2014 after 32 years of distinguished service that has seen her involved in operations around the world. Following the announcement last year that the 22,000-tonne ship will be preserved in some form, MOD is now inviting private companies, charities and trusts who are interested in buying her to come forward with ideas for her future use.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) £800 million contract with Rolls-Royce is for delivery & maintenance of the UK's nuclear submarine propulsion capability. Under the 10-year contract, which will help sustain around 2,000 jobs across the UK, Rolls-Royce will deliver and maintain the nuclear power source for the Royal Navy’s Astute Class and future Successor deterrent submarines. Part of the Submarine enterprise performance programme (SEPP), this contract will also help the company to transform its operations to carry out its work at best value for the taxpayer.

Through-life engineering support contract for the Royal Navy’s ocean survey vessel 'HMS Scott' awarded to Babcock, initially for 5 years. Under the contract, which includes an option to extend in 2018 for a further five years, Babcock will provide all aspects of through-life support for the vessel, working collaboratively in long term relationships with the MoD and some of its selected specialist contractors. The contract scope includes all aspects of Fleet Time Engineering Support for HMS Scott…

Merseyside shipyard and engineering firm Cammell Laird has formally started the second five year cycle of its biggest single contract. Work began in June 2013 on the second period of Cammell Laird’s through-life support cluster contract to maintain nine of the 13 ships in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) flotilla. The cluster contract was first awarded to Cammell Laird in 2008 and following reviews of performance and value for money the contract was extended for a further five years to 2018.

BMT Group Ltd, a leading international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, is pleased to announce that Wendy Barnes has joined the Board of Directors as a Non-executive Director. Wendy is presently a Non-executive Member of the main Board of OFWAT, the economic regulator of the water industry in England and Wales, a Non-executive Director of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Services and a Non-executive Director at the Met Office. She was Interim Chief Operating…