Australia to respond to surface fleet review in 2024
The Australian government will receive the much-anticipated independent Royal Australian Navy surface fleet review today, but will not publish the document or its response until next year.
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) in South Africa has completed building two FCS 5009 patrol vessels.
These are the first vessels of their type built in South Africa.
The vessels have been prepared by the DSCT for outfitting with a sea rogue weaponry system. This system will include a 20mm cannon forward of the wheelhouse and two 12.7mm Browning guns on the port and starboard sides of the wheelhouse. The system can be operated by a hand controller and has an accurate target-tracking feature.
Sam Montsi, chairman, DSCT, said: 'The FCS 5009 is deliverable in two formats. It can be either a fast crew supply ship or a security patrol vessel.'
DSCT is able to carry out the final conversion for either option within a matter of weeks. They are outfitted with MTU engines that offer a light weight-to-power ratio for increased speed.
The Australian government will receive the much-anticipated independent Royal Australian Navy surface fleet review today, but will not publish the document or its response until next year.
Taiwan has made good progress with its submarine programme, revealing its initial boat in late September.
HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has completed the pressure hull for the Virginia-class submarine USS Arkansas (SSN 800) meaning that all of the hull sections were joined to form a single watertight unit, marking a significant milestone in the construction process.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri delivered the third of seven Pattugliatori Polivalenti d'Altura (PPA) Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessel to the Italian Navy during a ceremony on 27 September.
India's first domestically built aircraft carrier was massively late by six years, but the country thinks it can do better with the next ship.
Serco has been awarded a $200 million contract by the US Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific to provide technology support services for anti-terrorism efforts, including deployment of the Physical Security Information Management System (PSIM).