Imagery of Severodvinsk harbour in the Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, dated 24 June, shows the Project 885M Severodvinsk (Yasen)-class SSGN Krasnoyarsk (centre) being prepared to commence sea trials on 26 June. Krasnoyarsk is flanked by the Project 885M submarine Novosibirsk (right) and the Project 955A Dolgorukiy (Borey)-class SSBN Generalissimus Suvorov (left). (©CNES 2002, Distribution AIRBUSDS/SkyWatch Space Applications Inc/Tony Roper)

The Project 885M Severodvinsk (Yasen)-class nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine (SSGN) Krasnoyarsk (K 571) has departed Severodvinsk for its first set of sea trials in the White Sea.

Photographs on social media showing Krasnoyarsk leaving the harbour area confirms the submarine's departure on 26 June.

Krasnoyarsk is the fourth Project 885 (and the third 885M) submarine under construction at Sevmash Shipyard and is predicted to join the Pacific Fleet, joining the SSGN fleet comprised of mostly Project 949A Oscar II-class boats.

Krasnoyarsk had been captured on satellite imagery the week prior to heading out to sea being degaussed in the harbour area. Other imagery shows the submarine undergoing final preparations alongside another Project 885M – likely to be Novosibirsk

Australia's DoD said it will assess potential defects of Guardian-class patrol vessels donated to Pacific Island countries. Ted Diro (pictured above) is the first of four vessels for Papua New Guinea. (Austal)

Australia's Department of Defence (DoD) and shipbuilder Austal are flying specialists to several Pacific Island countries to assess possible technical defects of Guardian-class patrol boats designed, built, and donated by Canberra, the DoD disclosed on 1 July.

The DoD said in a statement that the primary issue involved a potential fault in the vessels' exhaust systems. It said other issues that had emerged during the past 16 months included cracking in the coupling between the engine and the gearbox, and sickbay ventilation.

“Austal and [DoD] representatives will soon travel to Pacific Island nations to assess all vessels and work with Pacific Island countries on temporary rectification measures ahead of a longer-term solution,” the DoD statement said. Each country would make its own decision whether to operate its vessels or pause operations, it added.

HELIOS is being installed on the guided-missile destroyer USS Preble . (Lockheed Martin)

As the US Navy (USN) and Lockheed Martin work through the installation of the company's High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) on guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88), the service and the company are also working on integration and developing concepts of operations (CONOPS) for the new weapon system.

“What does integration mean,” Tyler Griffin, director of Lockheed Martin advanced product solutions strategy and business development, asked on 29 June during a roundtable update of the company's laser programmes.

“It's a question we are working on with the navy on how to efficiently train and develop CONOPS,” Griffin said.

The company and navy are working on how to optimise the new system, which is integrated with the Aegis Combat System, and works with other systems aboard the ship, he said. “That's the area we see us moving [towards] next.”

He spoke about where HELIOS could be developed, especially in the future. “The reason for those discussions is that this [HELIOS] is now the first [navy] tactically integrated laser weapon system,” he said.