Thales Supports Launch of Astute-Class Sub
Thales supported the official launch of the second Astute-class submarine, HMS Ambush, at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness on 16 December. Ambush, a 7,400 tonne nuclear powered attack submarine (SSN), was unveiled and officially named at the Cumbrian-based shipyard, a significant milestone for the Astute-class program. Lady Anne Soar, Ambush’s sponsor and wife of the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, performed the ceremony, which was watched by invited guests from the RN, Ministry of Defence (MoD), industry and the Barrow community. The first submarine, HMS Astute, was officially commissioned into the RN in August 2010. The Astute class are the UK’s biggest SSNs, and one of the most capable military assets in the RN.
Counter Piracy Mission Handover
After busy months on patrol in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin, a task force of NATO warships on March 12 handed over their counter-piracy mission, (Operation Ocean Shield) to the new task force of NATO ships which had sailed to the area to take up the mission. NATO warships have been conducting counter piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa, an area of strategic importance, since October 2008. On March 12 it was the turn of the five warships from the Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, who currently come from the UK (flagship), Greece, Italy, Turkey and the U.S. to pick up the baton of this ongoing mission. Speaking about the handover between the two NATO groups…
