Us Defense Department News

Maersk said explosions nearby forced two ships operated by its U.S. subsidiary and carrying U.S. military supplies to turn around when they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen, accompanied by the U.S. Navy."While en route, both ships reported seeing explosions close by and the U.S. Navy accompaniment also intercepted multiple projectiles," Maersk said in a statement, adding it was suspending Red Sea transits by vessels of the U.S. subsidiary.A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi military forces said they fired ballistic missiles at several U.S. warships that were protecting two U.S.

Rescue teams were battling against time on Friday to find a missing Indonesian Navy submarine lost in the Bali Sea with 53 crew, which would be rapidly running out of oxygen if not already crushed by water pressure.Search helicopters and more ships left Bali and a naval base in Java heading to the area where contact was lost with the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill, with the head of the Indonesian submarine fleet aboard.If the submarine was still intact…

China successfully launched a rocket from a ship at sea for the first time on Wednesday, state media reported, the latest step forward in its ambitious space programme.The Long March 11 rocket blasted off from a platform on a large semi-submersible barge in the Yellow Sea just after midday (0400 GMT), state media said.The small rocket, designed to be deployed quickly and from mobile launch sites such as a ship, carried seven satellites, including one that measures sea-surface winds to forecast typhoons.The rocket also carried two communications satellites belonging to China 125…

The United States has seriously damaged peace and stability in the South China Sea after a U.S. warship sailed near a disputed island in waters claimed by China, the Asian nation's defence ministry said on Monday.   The ministry resolutely opposes the entry of U.S. warships into Chinese territory, it said in a statement on social media.   The actions of the United States navy seriously damaged the "political atmosphere" around the development of military ties between the two countries, the ministry added.   The USS Stethem, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. Defense Department official said. (Reporting by Christian Shepherd

The U.S. Navy has chosen the Fairbanks Morse MAN 12V48/60CR engine as main propulsion for a new series of 17 ships as it begins plans to phase out its existing tanker fleet. Known colloquially as oilers, the existing aging fleet of 15 tankers is used to transfer fuel from coastal ports to naval vessels at sea. Lex Nijsen – Head of Four-Stroke Marine – MAN Diesel & Turbo, said, “The U.S. Navy knows our 48/60 engine very well, especially our L48/60A variant, and this played a key role in Fairbanks Morse winning this contract. In studying the replacement of the existing tankers, the U.S.

A vessel from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came within 100 yards of a U.S. military ship in the central Gulf on Sept. 4, two U.S. Defense Department officials told Reuters on Tuesday.   The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Iranian vessel sailed directly in front of the USS Firebolt, a 174-foot (53 m) coastal patrol vessel, forcing the U.S. ship to change course in a maneuver they described as "unsafe and unprofessional." (Reporting by Idrees Ali)

China scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday as a U.S. navy ship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, a patrol China denounced as an illegal threat to peace which only went to show its defence installations in the area were necessary. Guided missile destroyer the USS William P. Lawrence travelled within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban said. The so-called freedom of navigation operation was undertaken to "challenge excessive maritime claims" by China…

International criticism of China over the disputed South China Sea will rebound like a coiled spring, a Chinese diplomat said on Friday, as a U.S. warship visited Shanghai against a backdrop of rising tension in the region. China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims. China's increasingly assertive moves in the waters, including building artificial islands and air strips, have rattled nerves, with the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies warning last month they opposed provocation there. Ouyang Yujing, director-general of Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, said China took note of the criticism.

Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal have each won contracts worth up to $564 million to build one Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Defense Department said on Thursday in its daily digest of arms deals. Lockheed's contract covers construction of LCS 25, another of its Freedom-variant littoral combat ships, integration and testing of selected ship systems, and equipment, according to the statement. The work is to be completed by July 2020. Austal's contract covers construction of LCS 26, another of its Independence-variant LCS ships, integration, testing and equipment, with work to be completed by July 2020.

The U.S. Navy plans to send the USS Lassen destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea within 24 hours, the first of more regular challenges to China's territorial claims, a U.S. defense official said on Monday. The destroyer's patrol would occur near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were formerly submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014. The ship would likely be accompanied by a U.S.

The U.S. State Department has approved the likely sale to Japan of two Lockheed Martin Corp Aegis combat systems valued at $1.5 billion, a deal aimed at boosting Japan's defenses against a ballistic missile attack, the U.S. Defense Department said Friday. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which oversees foreign arms sales, said the Aegis combat systems and associated equipment would be installed on two new Japanese guided missile destroyers, or DDGs, expanding Japan's ability to carry out joint military missions with the U.S. Navy. "The addition of two new Aegis DDGs to Japan's fleet will afford more flexibility and capability to counter regional threats and continue to enhance stability in the region," DSCA said in a notification to U.S. lawmakers that was dated Aug.

A Russian military surveillance aircraft skimmed above four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) warships in the Baltic Sea earlier this week, CNN is reporting. According to the television channel, the incident involving four NATO warships, including US destroyer Jason Dunham, occurred on Thursday. One British, one French and one German vessel were also part of the group. According to reports, the Russian military plane flew above the decks of one of the four NATO vessels at an altitude of just 500 feet. "We are not calling this safe and professional. We are calling it routine, but we are on the edge of being very uncomfortable," an unnamed US Defense Department official was quoted as saying.

Bandar Abbas, home of Iran's navy and the main port in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, is currently hosting two Chinese naval vessels on a five-day goodwill visit, underlining the increasingly warm relationship between the two countries. It is the first such port call to Iran by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and highlights the efforts both China and Iran are making to counterbalance the power of the United States in the Middle East and along the sea lanes connecting the oil fields of the Gulf with major energy-consuming centres in Asia. The firepower of the guided missile destroyer Changchun and guided missile frigate Changzhou of the PLAN's 17th escort taskforce is dwarfed by the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquartered in Bahrain.

Oil and gas—and also mining—are the drivers today propelling Arctic maritime operations and the construction of new vessels able to operate in extreme latitudes. While the gas and oil resources can be recovered in the Arctic or far north and shipped to markets by sea or pipeline, the cost of doing must be balanced upon the global market price for those commodities. Ships and marine structures able to operate in the harsh conditions of the extreme latitudes require special designs and construction techniques.

The U.S. Navy has awarded contracts worth nearly $1.4 billion to buy four more Littoral Combat Ships from Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal Ltd, the U.S. Defense Department said on Monday. Lockheed won a contract valued at $699 million to build two more of its steel monohull-design ships, while Austal won a contract worth $684 million to build two more of its aluminum trimaran design, the Pentagon said in its daily digest of major weapons contracts. Lockheed welcomed the contract…

From harassing Filipino fishing boats and monitoring oil exploration off Vietnam to playing cat-and-mouse with the Japanese coastguard, China's expanding fleet of civilian patrol vessels have become the enforcers in disputed Asian waters. The ships of the recently unified Chinese coastguard are a fixture around the disputed islands and shoals of the South and East China Seas. While the ships don't have the weaponry of military vessels, thus reducing the risk a confrontation could get out of control, they still represent a potent show of sovereignty. The coastguard is funded by China's State Oceanic Administration, a civilian body, although one U.S. naval officer and security experts said it coordinates its operations with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

From harassing Filipino fishing boats and monitoring oil exploration off Vietnam to playing cat-and-mouse with the Japanese coastguard, China's expanding fleet of civilian patrol vessels have become the enforcers in disputed Asian waters. The ships of the recently unified Chinese coastguard are a fixture around the disputed islands and shoals of the South and East China Seas. While the ships don't have the weaponry of military vessels, thus reducing the risk a confrontation could get out of control, they still represent a potent show of sovereignty.

US Defense Department, Navy, has awarded General Dynamics Corp. -- Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine, a $212,000,000 fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract for the design and construction of a steel superstructure (deckhouse and hangar) plus construction of an aft peripheral vertical launching system for the Zumwalt-class destroyer (DDG 1002). Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (80.5 percent), Corona, Calif. (4.1 percent), Coatesville, Pa. (2.6 percent), South Portland…

The U.S. Defense Department wants more data from rivals for the $2.1 billion takeover of Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. and may still be weeks or months away from recommending which offer if either to allow, a top Pentagon official said on Wednesday. General Dynamics Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. said last week that they had agreed with the departments of defense and justice to delay any effort to close their competing bids until at least August 20. Under U.S. anti-trust law, the Justice Department has 10 business days to reach a final decision on a proposed all-cash acquisition after the would-be acquirer turns over all merger-related information sought by regulators.

The United States Navy received a second major shipment of Fiobuoys, made by Fiomarine, a small company based in Tasmania, Australia. The shipments are part of a two-year supply contract. The contract represents a 340 per cent sales growth for Fiomarine in less than three years. The order for its Fiobuoy underwater retrieval system is Fiomarine’s largest to date, and makes the U.S. the chief user of the technology. Fiomarine is now pursuing other U.S. markets, beginning with an exhibition at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans in December.

Analox has been awarded a contract by the US Defense department for the supply of a 40 additional Sub MkIIP Submarine Escape Monitors. This adds to the fleet’s current pool of 209 operational Sub MkIIP analysers. In addition to supplying the fleet, Analox is contracted to the annual in service support of the analysers. Also, The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Analox, a North Yorkshire/ UK SME, the contract for Submarine Escape Analysers for the UK Royal Navy Submarine Fleet. The Royal Navy has taken the decision to upgrade to the Analox Sub MkIIP, which is the only real time analyser that meets NATO standards and the requirements of the submarine service.

Measurement Technology NW (MTNW) wins US Small Business Administration Excellence Award. The 'Excellence' award was given for supporting Lockheed Martin’s aerostat program with the US Defense Department. This award recognizes small businesses that have excelled in their performance in support of large prime contractors. “MTNW was nominated by Lockheed Martin because we were able to provide industry leading technology at a lower cost and in half the time of previous winch instrumentation and display providers,” said Tom Rezanka, Vice President MTNW.

Japan's 2005 defense white paper echoes a US Defense Department report that warns against China's fast-modernizing military and its potential long-term threat to the region, according to a report on AsiaNews.it. The paper is particularly concerned about China’s growing naval capabilities. China’s apparent attempt to build a deep-water navy that includes subs is apparently particularly worrisome to Japan. (Source: AsiaNews.it)