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Michael Fallon News

08 Jun 2022

Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Suffers Another Repair Delay

The Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier - Credit: Wikimedia Commons - CC BY 4.0

Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, has suffered another repair delay and will not reenter service until 2024 at the earliest, Tass quoted a defense source as saying on Tuesday.The ship, launched in 1985, had been due to undergo a refit that would have seen it operational in 2023.The source told Tass that defects in the work had been discovered, and this meant the ship would remain in dock for longer than initially planned. The vessel had initially been due to return to service this year…

30 Oct 2018

Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Damaged after Floating Dock Sinks

Russia's only aircraft carrier was damaged while undergoing repairs in the north of the country after the floating dock holding it sank in the early hours of Tuesday morning and a crane crashed onto its deck.The Admiral Kuznetsov has seen action in Russia's military campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad with its planes carrying out air strikes against rebel forces.It was being overhauled on one of the world's biggest floating docks in the icy waters of the Kola Bay near Murmansk close to where Russia's Northern Fleet is based and was due to go back into service in 2021.Maria Kovtun, Murmansk's governor, said in a statement that a rescue operation had been launched and 71 people evacuated after the floating dock holding the ship had begun to sink.The warship had been suc

31 Oct 2017

UK’s Second River Class OPV Named

HMS Medway at BAE Systems’ site at Scotstoun, Glasgow (Photo: BAE Systems)

The second of five new River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels for the U.K. Royal Navy was officially named during a ceremony at BAE Systems’ site at Scotstoun, Glasgow. Guests watched on October 20 as Lady Wendy Fallon, HMS Medway’s sponsor and wife of Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon named the 2,000-metric-ton, 90-meter-long vessel. In keeping with Royal Navy tradition Lady Fallon pressed the button that released a bottle of Dockyard Gin from the Copper Rivet Distillery in Chatham, Kent, against the ship’s hull.

18 Oct 2017

UK Partners Join Forces in Bid to Build Naval Frigates

(Image: Cammell Laird)

A new partnership between Cammell Laird and BAE Systems aims to position the companies to build five Type 31e Frigates for the U.K. Royal Navy. The Teaming Agreement has been formed in response to the U.K. Ministry of Defense Request for Information and will now be part of a competitive tender process. Under the agreement, Cammell Laird will act as Prime Contractor to build the Type 31e Frigates with BAE Systems providing warship design, engineering capability and combat systems expertise.

27 Sep 2017

Cammell Laird Shipyard Welcomes Defence Secretary

Sir Michael Fallon center with Cammell Laird team John Syvret CEO to his left Linton Roberts managing director to his right (Photo: Cammell Laird Shipyard)

British shipbuilder, and diverse engineering service provider, Cammell Laird has welcomed Sir Michael Fallon Secretary of State for Defence on a visit to the yard. The company said during the visit it intends to design and build a world leading Type 31 Frigate that will meet the Royal Navy’s specification and budget and will market the platform globally and capitalize on major export opportunities to Britain’s international allies around the world. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret CBE said it is ‘ready…

16 Aug 2017

Theresa May hails HMS Queen Elizabeth

The Royal Navy’s new flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth berthed in her home port of Portsmouth early on Wednesday morning and was greeted Prime Minister Theresa May visited the aircraft carrier and hailed it as a symbol of the UK’s maritime might, said a press release from UK Chamber of Shipping. “Britain truly has the best sailors, marines and officers in the world and I believe that you deserve the very best equipment. That is what we have with HMS Queen Elizabeth. This ship is a symbol of the United Kingdom as a great global, maritime nation,” the prime minister said in an address. “Clearly, she is a stunning piece of twenty-first-century engineering and a true testament to British shipbuilding and design. Six shipyards from across the United Kingdom contributed sections of this vessel.

07 Aug 2017

HMS Queen Elizabeth Set to Sail Home

(Photo: U.K. Royal Navy)

The U.K. Royal Navy’s new 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest warship ever to be built in Britain, has been undergoing sea trials since setting sail from Scotland's Rosyth dockyard in June, and is now set to enter her new home in Portsmouth in around two weeks. The warship will be the latest in a long line of famous Royal Navy ships to call Portsmouth home, though the exact date of the historic moment is to be determined depending on weather conditions. The window for entry will open August 17, with her arrival expected no later than the August 22.

24 Jul 2017

BAE Systems Begins Building UK’s Next Warship

Image: BAE Systems

BAE Systems said it has begun to build the first of the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ships. Sir Michael Fallon MP, U.K. Secretary of State for Defense, visited the builder’s Glasgow shipyard to press the button to officially commence production on the new warship, and during his speech revealed the vessel’s name: Glasgow. This ceremonial event follows the U.K Government’s recent award of a contract worth approximately £3.7 billion for the first three ships to be built at BAE Systems’ sites in Glasgow.

20 Feb 2017

BAE Systems Announces New Submarine Construction Training Facility

Sir Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defence, visited BAE Systems Submarines today where he learnt about the Company's £25m investment in a new apprentice training facility. The Company’s site, in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, is home to the UK's submarine design and build capability and the new facility will help nurture the unique skills required to deliver one of the world's most complex engineering challenges. BAE Systems is the prime contractor for the Astute programme and the lead industrial partner in the Dreadnought programme, which is a new class of submarines to replace the Vanguard class. At nearly 8,000m2, the new Central Training Facility will provide a bespoke learning environment for the almost 1,000 craft and technical apprentices that are currently in training.

04 Nov 2016

BAE Systems to Begin Building Next UK Warships in 2017

(Image: BAE Systems)

BAE Systems said it will cut first steel for the U.K. Royal Navy’s Type 26 Global Combat Ships in Glasgow in summer 2017, subject to final contract negotiations with the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD). “Backed by Britain’s rising defense budget, the Type 26 Program will deliver a new generation of cutting-edge warships for our Royal Navy at best value for taxpayers,” said Defense Secretary Michael Fallon during a visit to BAE Systems’ shipyard in Glasgow. “The U.K. Ian King, Chief Executive…

26 Oct 2016

Australia, France Meet to focus on Future Submarine Program

The Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and her French counterpart, Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, today agreed to strengthen the Australia-France defence relationship by establishing formal annual Australia-France Defence Ministers meetings. Minister Payne said Australia and France have a close and long-standing Defence relationship, based on shared interests in contributing to the rules-based global order and strong cooperation in the Pacific. “Building on these links, and in light of the cooperation that we will have for decades to come under the Future Submarine Program, we will establish formal Defence Ministers meetings," Minister Payne said.

20 Oct 2016

Britain Says Will 'Man-mark' Passing Russian Warships

Britain said on Thursday it would keep a close eye on a fleet of Russian warships approaching British waters on their way to the eastern Mediterranean. The Norwegian military on Wednesday released pictures taken by surveillance aircraft of the fleet, which includes the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy battle cruiser, sailing in international waters. British defence minister Michael Fallon said the Royal Navy would be watching closely. "When these ships near our waters we will man-mark them every step of the way," Fallon said. Russia's TASS state news agency said in July that the Admiral Kuznetsov would take part in a Russian operation in Syria from October to January.

07 Oct 2016

Construction Begins on UK’s Next Submarines

Photo: BAE Systems

BAE Systems welcomed the Right Honorable Sir Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defense to Barrow-in-Furness shipyard to press a button, commencing the first metal-cut for the Successor program. The secretary of State's visit follows a recent U.K. Government commitment of £1.3 billion funding for the Successor Submarine program on October 1. This program will deliver four new submarines for the Royal Navy and will replace the current Vanguard class, with the first submarine entering service in the early 2030s. The U.K.

07 Oct 2016

Submarine Market Valued at Nearly $23 Billion

The submarine market will be valued at $22.8 billion this year. By 2026 the market will reach $36.3 billion, according to Strategic Defence Intelligence. This represents a compound annual growth rate of (CAGR) of 4.74%. Spending will increase $2.8 billion this year, and is forecasted to reach $3.3 billion in 2026. This represents a CAGR of 1.7%. Factors such as the replacement of aging submarines, using marine vehicles for surveillance and border disputes are contributing to the spending increase. The largest markets are North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Britain's ministry of defense announced a contract with defense firm BAE Systems to build four new submarines. The project will cost $1.7 billion. Parliament approved upgrading the nation's nuclear weapons system in July.

01 Sep 2016

Royal Navy Warship Goes to Libya

The UK provided RFA Mounts Bay to support the Danish-led maritime operation, escorting a Danish transport ship through the Mediterranean as it carried the chemicals, the Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary have announced. Libya’s chemical weapons stockpile was destroyed under international supervision in 2014. However, a quantity of chemicals which could be made into chemical weapons remained in the country. Earlier this year, the Libyan Government of National Accord requested support from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the international community in removing the remaining chemicals from Libya and destroying them safely in a third country.

11 Feb 2016

NATO Sea Mission Launched against Migrant Traffickers

NATO ships are on their way to the Aegean Sea to help Turkey and Greece crack down on criminal networks smuggling refugees into Europe, the alliance's top commander said on Thursday. Hours after NATO defence ministers agreed to use their maritime force in the eastern Mediterranean to help combat traffickers, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said he was working quickly to design the mission. "We are sailing the ships in the appropriate direction," Breedlove told a news conference, and the mission plan would be refined during the time they were en route. "That's about 24 hours," he said. The plan, which was first raised only on Monday by Germany and Turkey, took NATO by surprise and is aimed at helping the continent tackle its worst migration crisis since World War Two.

11 Feb 2016

UK to Double NATO Naval Deployments in 2016

Britain is doubling its naval deployments to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a move aimed a showing enemies that "we are ready to respond to any threat", the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced. Britain will play a bigger role in NATO maritime exercises and activities in 2016, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The UK will reportedly send five extra ships to the Baltic and additional troops to be stationed on a rotational basis in six countries bordering Russia. A decision on the number of troops is expected to be taken at the NATO summit in the Polish capital, Warsaw, in the summer. "Increasing our Nato deployments sends a strong message to our enemies that we are ready to respond to any threat…

16 Sep 2015

British Warship to Tackle Smugglers in Mediterranean

HMS Richmond (Photo: MOD)

A British warship could be used to target people traffickers in the Mediterranean as part of European Union efforts to tackle a growing migrant crisis, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday. The government said it was offering the ship to board, seize and destroy vessels in international waters off the coast of Libya, where smugglers have taken advantage of political turmoil to ship thousands of illegal migrants to Europe. British Royal Navy ships have been involved in rescuing migrants but the government said it wanted to do more.

06 Aug 2015

Egypt's Sisi Launches Nationalist New Suez Canal Celebration

Photo: Suez Canal Authority

Egypt staged a show of international support on Thursday as it inaugurated a major extension of the Suez Canal which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes will power an economic turnaround in the Arab world's most populous country. The former armed forces chief, who led a military takeover two years ago but ran for president as a civilian last year, told a ceremony attended by leaders of France, Russia, Arab and African states that Egypt would defeat terrorism. The $8 billion New Suez Canal project was completed in just one year instead of three on Sisi's orders…

09 Jun 2015

Construction Begins on UK’s Next Warship

HMS Medway (Image: BAE Systems)

Construction of the U.K. Royal Navy’s second new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) has begun, marked by a ceremony led by Defense Secretary, Michael Fallon, at BAE Systems in Glasgow. The Secretary of State formally started construction of HMS Medway, the second of three River Class Batch 2 vessels, by operating the plasma steel-cutting machine at a June 8 event attended by representatives from the Royal Navy, the local community and BAE Systems employees. “These new ships are an important part of the £160 billion we are investing over the next decade in the equipment our armed forces need…

12 Mar 2015

BAE Systems Awarded $385 mln Contract to Design Submarine

British Navy has awarded BAE Systems PLC a £257 million ($385 million) contract to complete design work on the country’s next submarine capable of firing nuclear warhead-equipped ballistic missiles. Britain plans to replace the Royal Navy’s Vanguard-class submarines that provide its nuclear weapons force from 2028. The money is on top of almost GBP650mln of contracts the defence group won three years ago for early design work on the submarines, known as the Successor class. BAE said the latest round of funding will support 1,400 jobs at the company on a program that has so far involved almost 240 suppliers. Announcing the contract, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “The UK has been committed to a continuous at-sea deterrent for more than 45 years.

20 Feb 2015

BAE Systems Gets $1.3b for New UK Warships

Image: BAE Systems

The U.K. Ministry of Defense has signed a $1.3 billion contract with BAE Systems for equipment to build the next generation of warships for the British navy, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today. BAE Systems has been working on plans to provide Britain with 13 new warships since 2010, Reuters reported, adding that the new contract enables the shipbuilder to continue developing the project by investing in the equipment and facilities needed before building can begin. According to the U.K.

15 Dec 2014

BAE Systems to Upgrade UK Navy Torpedoes

Photo: BAE Systems

BAE Systems has been awarded a £270 million contract from the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) to upgrade the Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal Navy’s submarines. Following the completion of the design phase, existing torpedoes will be upgraded by BAE Systems at its Broad Oak facility in Portsmouth to the new design with initial deliveries in 2020 continuing until 2024. The contract secures 100 skilled engineering jobs for BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business at Broad Oak, and sustains hundreds more across the supply chain.

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