Defense

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received an order to upgrade three Iver3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) to be used in support of the Royal Navy’s Project Wilton.

The 49^th Baltic Operations (BALTOPS 2020) exercise, the premier maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Region, kicks off today, June 7, in the Baltic Sea.

Royal Marines will have access to more information when making tactical decisions thanks to a new helmet camera. The purpose-built camera is not only tougher and weather-proof to keep up with the extreme conditions commandos operate in, it also links up to a new network system ensuring live data can be analysed and exploited quickly.

May 11^th marked the 76^th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the USS YF-415 in the Boston Harbor. The ship was conducting a routine obsolete ammunition dump when signal flares caught fire and ignited shells, leading to a series of explosions that sank the ship. 

Leading davit supplier Vestdavit has completed the delivery of four boat-handling systems to Australian shipyard Austal. The PLAR-4501-type davits are due to be installed on two Cape-class patrol boats acquired by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to enhance the island nation’s border protection capabilities.



The Analysis for Science & Technology Research in Defense (ASTRID) framework will be the primary mechanism for providing wide-ranging decision support, analysis and advisory services to the MOD for up to seven years, with a contract value of up to £350m.

U.S. Northern Command led a major homeland defense exercise on May 29, conducted in partnership with North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Strategic Command, and U.S. Space Command, with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) under the operational control of U.S. Northern Command.

Bollinger Shipyards LLC (“Bollinger”) has delivered the USCGC MYRTLE HAZARD to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. This is the 162^nd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 39th Fast Response Cutter (“FRC”) delivered under the current program.

RE2 Robotics, a leading developer of human-like robotic manipulation systems, has announced that it has received $2.5 million in funding from the Office of Naval Research to continue the development and commercialization of its technology under the Dexterous Maritime Manipulation System (DM2S) program. RE2’s DM2S technology will provide Navy personnel with the ability to autonomously perform mine countermeasure (MCM) missions. 

The U.S. and Saudi forces are conducting routine and joint sustainment training on and around Karan and Kurayn islands, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 24-30, 2020.

Leading boat launch and recovery systems supplier Vestdavit will deliver the most advanced motion-compensated davits in the world to the US Navy, following orders placed with Vestdavit Inc. by General Dynamics NASSCO to equip two Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ships.

The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) and the Republic of Singapore Navy Formidable-class multi-role stealth frigate RSS Steadfast (FFS 70) conducted a bilateral exercise in the South China Sea, May 24-25.