Defense

When the U.S. Navy needed to ensure the recovery of the AN/UQQ-2 Surveillance Towed Sensor System (SURTASS) in case of loss at sea, they reached out to RJE International, Inc, the leader in subsea asset protection.

Leading boat-handling systems manufacturer Vestdavit Inc. has won a tender with Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Mississippi to supply marine davits for the United States Coast Guard’s new Polar Security Cutter (PSC). The 460-foot vessel will support U.S. operations in Arctic and Antarctic waters.

ThayerMahan, Inc., a world leader in autonomous maritime security solutions, completed operational testing and evaluation that demonstrated its Outpost and SeaWatch autonomous systems could identify, localize, and report illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

BAE Systems has received a $197.4 million contract from the U.S. Navy to drydock and perform maintenance and modernization work aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1).

The team from Northern Diving Group, based at Faslane, sprang into action after the wartime device – laid by a German submarine off the island of Ailsa Craig – was recovered.

RH Marine and Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) will help to make the maintenance of the vessels of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) more efficient and predictable using data science. 

The DLBA Division of Gibbs & Cox will be supporting DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO) on their revolutionary No Manning Required, Ship (NOMARS) Program.

GE’s Power Conversion business has been awarded a $40 million contract to supply the power and propulsion systems for two National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs). This new class of purpose-built ships will be used primarily to provide cadets with at-sea training on operational vessels.

Clarion Events Defence and Security is pleased to announce the appointment of Rear Adm Jon Pentreath CB OBE FRAeS as Military Advisor. In this role, Pentreath will primarily provide dedicated support for Clarion’s principal event, DSEI, as well as the specialist Undersea Defence Technology conference and exhibition.

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract worth NOK 200 million with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to supply propeller systems for five F110 frigates, currently in construction for the Spanish Navy.

The last multi-mission frigate and tenth unit of the FREMM series was floated out Friday, November 13, at the Naval Group site of Lorient. The crossing of this milestone opens the pathway to the ship’s first sea outing, planned for February 2022 and to the maintenance of its contractual delivery date, the following November. It testifies to the industrial and technological mastery of Naval Group and the resilience of its employees, who were able to re-organize the schedule and remain mobilized despite the health crisis.

On-time-delivery: A priority

“During the health crisis, our teams juggled trade-offs in order to avoid any delay in the delivery of the two air defense frigates, the Alsace and the Lorraine, the last in the FREMM series. Additional resources were assigned to the organization of the first sea outing of the Alsace, initially planned for May 2020”, explains Alan Le Coroller, FREMM Production Program package Manager.

“Floating out of the Lorraine took place thanks to the excellent pre-outfitting rate of the hull blocks and the implementation of action plans on the assembly activities of the propulsion chain and the electricity part. All the skill specialties took part in coordinating the work and the platform and combat system specialties modified the way they worked to optimize production. Finally, we reinforced the coordination/planning part of the project, calling on personnel from other Group sites to consolidate teams in the field.”

“This commitment of our employees, but also of our partners and subcontractors, deserves to be applauded: everyone mobilized to find solutions to the constraints related to the health crisis”, emphasizes Nicolas Gaspard, FREMM Program Director.

A fifteen-year program for ever more innovative ships

“The schedule of the Lorraine is closely linked to that of the Alsace, a "strategic" execution since it was the first of the two air defense FREMMs planned since the outset of the program in order to supplement the fleet of anti-submarine warfare FREMMs, a domain in which they are provided with equivalent qualities” recalls Nicolas Gaspard.

In addition to these anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the vocation of these frigates is to defend a fleet. Their radar is therefore equipped with additional modules extending its range and power and their mast was adapted to facilitate this long distance detection.

In addition to this capability, which makes them even more versatile, they also benefit from continuous improvement that capitalizes on the lessons learned from previous units already in service, and from new communication capabilities that have appeared in the last fifteen years. They are thus very up-to-date!”

“In production, the lessons learned related to the specificities of the cinched mast of the Alsace were incorporated very quickly on the Lorraine: the non-conformance sheets written were duplicated to be applied to the next ship: this is one of the great strengths of the series!”, confirms Alan Le Coroller.

On November 12th, the Pakistan Navy commissioned its new Corvette – a Damen OPV 1900 – named PNS Tabuk at the Port of Constanta, Romania. The ship is part of a two vessel order with Damen, signed by the Pakistan Ministry of Defense in 2017. Both ships are built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. The first vessel, PNS Yarmook, joined the Pakistan Navy’s fleet in February this year.

Like her sister vessel, PNS Tabuk is a multipurpose, highly adaptable platform, capable of performing a wide variety of operations in a complex maritime environment. She is able to launch a helicopter and a UAV, as well as two RHIBs simultaneously.

PNS Tabuk Commissioning Ceremony

During the commissioning, the delegates – which included many attending the event remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – were addressed by the commanding officer of PNS Tabuk, Captain Muhammad Umair. The Captain acknowledged Damen’s professional competency during the project and expressed confidence in future cooperation.

Managing director of Damen Shipyards Galati Flemming Sorensen, speaking at the event, said, “Damen has been involved in many projects in Pakistan since 1986 and we are very proud of this long-lasting and trusting cooperation.”

He stated that the successful outcome of the project was the result of a close cooperation between all involved.

PNS Tabuk Commissioning Ceremony.

“Such an achievement is only possible with good coordination, skillful workmanship, excellent teamwork and good cooperation between all parties involved. Despite the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, the Pakistan, Romanian and Dutch project teams have managed, with perseverance, to continue their work to successful completion.”

Damen will continue to provide support to PNS Tabuk during her service.

Damen’s yard in Galati has built more than 40 vessels for the defense and security segment, including the last seven complex naval vessels for the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Stefan cel Mare offshore patrol vessel, the flagship of the Romanian Border Police.