Category: News

Drive to the 113th birthday

Yesterday (27 August), the third Zumwalt-class destroyer left the Bath Iron Works shipyard in the US state of Maine for sea trials for the first time. The namesake, Lyndon B. Johnson, was born in Texas on the same day in 1908. Coincidence or plan? We don't know, but we are delighted that what is probably the last ship of the class is now not only afloat, but also sailing. Johnson was the 36th President of the USA between 1963 and 1969 and is the only politician to have given his name to a ship of the class. Originally, the US Navy planned to build up to 32 destroyers of this type. Escalating costs...

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Successful tests with the new Arleigh Burke destroyer

Production of the Arleigh Burke class continues to run at full speed in the USA. Last week, Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding successfully completed the shipyard sea trials of the latest ship in the class, the future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. As part of a three-day final inspection in the Gulf of Mexico, the 155-metre destroyer's command and weapon deployment system in particular was put through its paces. An undisclosed missile was also fired in the process. A final test is now on the programme before delivery to the Navy. The ship is due to be handed over to the US Navy before the end of this year and docked in Pearl...

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Sweden: Submarine construction makes progress

A26 partial order awarded to SAAB - later delivery Saab has made further progress in the development and production of the two A26 or Blekinge-class submarines that have already been ordered. On 27 August, the defence manufacturer received the green light for further construction and development steps from the competent authority for defence material (FMV). The contract is worth 510 million euros (SEK 5.2 billion). The programme was launched in 2015. At that time, the construction and development costs totalled SEK 8.2 billion (approximately SEK 800 million as of today). The Blekinge class is a 65-metre-long submarine with a displacement of 2,000 tonnes. The air-independent Stirling propulsion system (Stirling AIP) is designed to provide an 18-day...

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High-tech balloons for the Aegean Sea

In the Aegean Sea, controlling the EU's external border between Greece and Turkey is proving difficult. Many islands with long coastlines and the geographical proximity of the two countries make it difficult to deploy patrol vehicles. Ships and aeroplanes also have high operating costs. Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, is now hoping that the use of tethered balloons will ease the burden. As part of a technology pilot programme, two balloons from the US manufacturer CNIM Air Space will initially be procured and fitted with sensors from Hensoldt. This involves the Argos-II system from Oberkochen, which was developed for use on various flying platforms....

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New pier in Perth

Southwest of the Australian city of Perth lies an island around ten kilometres long, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge. In 1827, Captain James Stirling christened it Garden Island, released some farm animals there and disappeared again for two years. When he returned in 1829, the animals had died due to the lack of water, but he brought with him a few settlers and above all soldiers, who established their first base here. It was also the first European settlement in Western Australia, and its location made it an ideal trading centre for the routes across the Indian Ocean to Europe...

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