22 April 2021
by Richard Scott
A second report into the circumstances leading to the loss of the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) guided-missile frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad has concluded that the ship could have been saved if the crew had been better trained in damage control procedures and more familiar with the ship’s stability characteristics.
The Norwegian frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad takes on water after colliding with the tanker Sola TS on 8 November 2018 in the Hjeltefjord near Bergen. (MARIT HOMMEDAL/AFP via Getty Images)
A total of 28 safety recommendations have been made by the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA), most directed towards the RNoN and the Norwegian Defence Material Agency. These include measures to address deficiencies in training, organisation, materiel, documentation, process, and assurance.
The fourth of five F310 Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates delivered to the RNoN by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia between 2006 and 2011, Helge Ingstad suffered extensive damage to its starboard side after colliding with the Maltese-flagged tanker Sola TS in the Hjeltefjord on 8 November 2018. The nine-year old frigate was run aground but heeled over and sank in shallow water. Although subsequently salvaged, Helge Ingstad
26 April 2024
by Zach Rosenberg
A Kodiak-based MH-65 trains aboard the USCGC Healy in 2022. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
The last US Coast Guard (USCG) Airbus MH-65 Dolphin in Alaska retired from Air Station Kodiak on 23 April, ending the type's 36-year employment in the service's Alaska Patrol (ALPAT) role.
“For decades, the cutter and helicopter team were the core of the ALPAT mission,” said Commander James Kenshalo, a USCG MH-65 Dolphin pilot. “Together they projected force and protection to the most extreme remote regions of our nation's territories, operating beyond where help could reach.”
Air Station Kodiak operates six Sikorsky MH-60Ts and is scheduled to receive three more in 2025. The service intends to standardise its full rescue helicopter fleet on the MH-60T, which has a longer range, greater payload capacity, and commonality with other armed service fleets. Alaska is among the first regions to complete the transition because of the long ranges required to perform rescue and security missions in the region.
26 April 2024
by Kate Tringham
HMS Diamond shoots down a missile fired by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen over the Gulf of Aden using its Sea Viper missile system – the first time a Royal Navy warship has intercepted a missile in combat since 1991. (Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)
The UK Royal Navy's (RN's) Daring (Type 45)-class destroyer HMS Diamond (D 34) has successfully engaged an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched by Yemen-based Ansar Allah (commonly known as Houthi) rebels targeting a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, the service confirmed on 25 April.
During the incident, which took place around 1151 h local time (Sanaa time) on 24 April, Diamond used its Sea Viper anti-air guided weapon system to shoot down the missile, the navy said. According to a US Central Command (CENTCOM) statement issued on 25 April, the missile was likely targeting the US-flagged, owned, and operated merchant vessel MV Yorktown, which has 18 US and four Greek crew members onboard.
No injuries or damage was sustained by the ship or its crew, CENTCOM said.
Diamond
26 April 2024
by Gareth Jennings
One of the first six Rafales to be delivered to Croatia. Deliveries of all 12 aircraft will be complete by mid-2025. (Dassault)
Croatia has inducted into service the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft it recently received from France.
The manufacturer announced the milestone on 25 April, saying the first six of 12 Rafales had been formally received into service by the Croatian Air Force (Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo i protuzračna obrana: HRZ i PZO).
Having been handed over to the Croatian Ministry of Defence (MoD) at the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE) base at Mont-de-Marsan in France in 2023, these initial aircraft were received into the 91 operational base near Zagreb in a ceremony that was attended by Croation Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić.
With the Rafale to be operated by 191 Squadron, the first of the follow-on batch of six aircraft will arrive in Croatia by the end of 2024 to complete the unit by mid-2025.
For more information on the Croatian Air Force, please seeCroatia – Air Force .
A second report into the circumstances leading to the loss of the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) guided...
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