Category: Magazine

Germany participates in Operation IRINI with the "Bonn"

On 1 September 2021, the task force provider left its home base in Wilhelmshaven to join Operation IRINI as part of the European Union Naval Forces Mediterranean (EUNAFVOR MED). The 220 soldiers on board include military police and an 11-strong boarding team from the sea battalion in Eckernförde. Two Sea Lynx helicopters will support the situation picture. A legal advisor from the Federal Ministry of Defence will contribute to the certainty of action in the event of an emergency. The team in Bonn's operational hospital will be reinforced by members of the German Air Force. The mandate for the EU-led crisis management operation was extended by the German Bundestag until 30 April 2022. The decision of 21 April...

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Abeking & Rasmussen - The art of shipbuilding

German shipyards have established themselves in lucrative niche markets with innovations and expertise. A visit to Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder. Months ago, I wrote that a trip on the Lower Weser arouses the sailor's curiosity to take a look inside the halls that line the shore. There, where the names are emblazoned that you can read cast in brass on thousands of ships on all the world's oceans. It is a curiosity that is not just an interest in technology. It also triggers emotions, awakens memories and fuels the proverbial (Saint-Exupéry) longing for the sea. Or, as one shipbuilder told me...

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Career in the navy: Fresh cell cure 25s

Since the early 1990s, the Bundeswehr has been aligned with the changing security policy challenges. As part of this process, the number of naval posts has been reduced from around 30,000 to currently around 15,000, while the number of floating and airborne weapons systems has fallen from around 380 to around 110. At the same time, the intensity of naval operations has increased. It is currently involved in six international missions and mission-equivalent obligations and is supporting the national fight against the pandemic. The navy is also continuing its modernisation process. In order to do justice to this, the smallest navy of all time is therefore dependent on ensuring the operational readiness of its forces....

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The hornet stings again

The Super Hornet has been flying for the US Navy since 1999. Now a state-of-the-art version, designated Block III, is being launched. The US Navy plans to introduce the latest version of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet into service in the middle of this year. Since May 2020, new aircraft have only been produced in the Block III variant. This applies equally to the single-seat F/A-18E and the two-seat F/A-18F. The new equipment is intended to bring about a significant increase in performance across the entire spectrum of missions, including tactical reconnaissance, air combat, engagement of sea and ground targets, close air support for ground troops and combating enemy aircraft.

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Maiden voyage of the Iranian Navy

If the passage of Russian nuclear submarines caused a furore, the entry of the largest ship of the Iranian navy into the Baltic Sea accompanied by an Iranian frigate is no less so. For weeks, ship spotters had been following the course of two Iranian naval units with different interpretations of their destination. On the morning of 22 July, the supply ship "Makran" passed the bridge over the Great Belt. Her escort ship, the frigate "Sahand", was already several nautical miles ahead of her. The two units will represent Iran at the parade to mark the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy. Also on 22 July, the Iranian news agency IRNA announced a statement to this effect by the commander of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi. He himself will be travelling to St. Petersburg. Tasnim News reports the arrival of the Iranian naval vessels in St. Petersburg on the afternoon of 24 July 2021.

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