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USS Abraham Lincoln Sails with Italian Carrier Cavour in Western Pacific

Dzirhan Mahadzir – August 9, 2024 3:44 PM

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and Italian Navy carrier ITS Cavour (550) in the Philippine Sea. Italian Navy Photo

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and Italian Navy carrier ITS Cavour (550) drilled together in the Philippine Sea according to an Italian Navy social media post on Friday. Meanwhile amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) arrived in Busan, South Korea on Friday.
The Italian Navy did not release a date as to when the two carriers sailed together but it is likely after the Abraham Lincoln CSG’s departure from Guam on Thursday.

Lincoln along with destroyers USS O’Kane (DDG-77), and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) departed Guam on while destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111), also part of the Abraham Lincoln CSG departed Saipan the same day, after conducting a four day port call to the island, according to a Navy release.

Images released by the Italian Navy showed Lincoln sailing together with U.S. two destroyers, Cavour and frigate ITS Alpino (F594), while a combined flight group from the two carriers’ airwings flew overhead.

The Italian Navy stated that event was a “demonstration of interoperability between allies around the world and consolidation of the ability to integrate our forces wherever necessary.”

USNI News earlier reported that the Abraham Lincoln CSG would be deployed to the Middle East, relieving the Theodore Roosevelt CSG, though the timing of the handover has not been announced. The Abraham Lincoln CSG deployed without a cruiser, which will be more the norm in future as the Navy decommissions its cruiser fleet. USNI News understands Petersen is serving in the cruiser role. Three destroyers currently are part of the CSG though the number may increase if the Navy assigns additional destroyers already operating in the Asia-Pacific or in the Middle East to join the CSG.

The Cavour CSG is currently on a deployment to the Indo-Pacific, with an embarked air wing of F-35Bs Lightning IIs Joint Strike Fighters and AVB-8B Harrier IIs. The Cavour CSG recently took part in the Royal Australian Air Force’s multinational Pitch Black exercise that took place around Darwin, Australia from July 12 to Aug. 2 with its airwing augmented with an additional 8 F-35As and Bs flying into Australia as part of the Italian air group flying out from Italy to the exercise.

An Italian Navy release stated that the airwing of the Cavour CSG carried out 22 days of training totalling more than 180 hours of flight time and 110 missions including ground attack, in-flight refueling, take-offs and landings, air-to-air interactions, escort, Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) and command and control.

The Cavour CSG’s deployment is part of meeting the Italian Navy’s target of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the F-35B in carrier operations. Capt. Dario Castelli, the carrier air wing commander said in the release that the IOC of the F-35B component will allow it to operate with allies, ensuring complete interoperability and interchangeability.

“Our participation in the Pitch Black 2024 exercise has allowed us to increase and strengthen the ability to project air and naval power from the sea,” said Castelli in the release.

The Cavour CSG is now headed to Japan to carry out drills before moving on to the Philippines, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Oman and Saudi Arabia before heading home to Taranto, Italy.

On Friday, amphibious assault ship Boxer pulled into Busan, South Korea for replenishment and crew rest, according to a report by South Korean media agency Yonhap, citing a Republic of Korea Navy statement. Boxer deployed on Jul.16 after completing rudder repairs that pushed back its planned April deployment to the Indo-Pacific. The big deck then operated around the 3rd Fleet while waiting for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) elements that were to embark on it to wrap up their participation in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 2024) exercise with the 15th MEU embarking on the ship at sea on Jul. 23 according to DVIDS images.

In other developments, Japan’s Joint Staff Office issued reports on the activities on two PLAN destroyers and a Chinese UAV around its southwest island. In a Thursday release, the JSO stated that at 11 a.m. on Aug. 2, destroyers CNS Nanjing (155) and CNS Lishui (157) were sighted sailing south in an area 49 miles northwest of Uotsuri Island and subsequently sailed south in an area 43 miles west of Uotsuri Island and eventually sailed south in the waters between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan. The release added that on Wednesday, the two PLAN destroyers sailed southwest in the waters between Amami Oshima Island and Yokoate Island to enter the East China Sea. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer escort JS Oyodo (DE-231) a JMSDF P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 1 based at JMSDF Kanoya Air Base on the main island of Kyushu and a JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA of Fleet Air 5 based at Naha Air Base, Okinawa, shadowed the PLAN ships, according to the release.

On Friday, the JSO issued a release stating that in the morning and afternoon of that day, a Chinese BZK-005 military reconnaissance drone flew in from the East China Sea, then passed through between Okinawa and Miyako Island to reach the Philippine Sea, where it carried out a circuit flight then flew back the same way to return to the East China Sea. In response fighter aircraft of the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) Southwest Air District were scrambled, stated the release.

Jupiter Point: Joining Royal Navy sailors training at their ‘gateway to the sea’

8th August 2024 at 9:55am

Royal Navy sailors get first taste of life at sea at Jupiter Point

During their basic training at HMS Raleigh, Royal Navy recruits are given their first taste of life on the water – but it is not at sea. 

Well into their time at Torpoint, the recruits begin to experience the highs and lows of life on the waves on the River Lynher in Cornwall.

Kayaks, ribs and becoming swimmer of the watch drills are all a part of the experience, with Forces News joining the young sailors at Jupiter Point, the gateway to the sea for sailors, to find out more.  

Watch Video: AC-130J gunship pummels Navy vessel during Rim of the Pacific

By Riley Ceder

An AC-130J gunship practiced live-fire on a retired U.S. Navy ship during SINKEX 2024. (Todd R. McQueen)

A U.S. Air Force AC-130J gunship took part in battering and sinking a retired U.S. Navy vessel during this summer’s 2024 Rim of the Pacific exercise, according to explosive footage released by the Air Force.

A New Mexico-based 27th Special Operations Wing crew manning the AC-130J bludgeoned the Austin-class amphibious transport dock Dubuque with cannon fire from the air as part of a live-fire sinking exercise last month.

The former amphibious assault ship Tarawa was also sent to the ocean floor as part of the exercise. Footage of the Tarawa’s final moments above the ocean’s surface has yet to be released.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5uvpRpOBZa0%3Ffeature%3Doembed

This year’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC, involved 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel. It is the largest international maritime exercise and allows militaries the opportunity to test high-powered weapons in real-world scenarios.

Over the roughly minute-and-a-half video, which was recorded off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the AC-130J ambushes the Dubuque with a barrage of cannon fire.

Impacts can be seen across the vessel’s surface, with billows of smoke signaling each heavy strike.

Though not included in the video, Dubuque was also hit by U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters and elements from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

The Dubuque, which now rests 15,000 feet below the waves, was commissioned in 1967 and went on to serve in Vietnam before being decommissioned in 2011.

Ships sunk during the RIMPAC exercise must be cleaned of any toxic substances, such as mercury or petroleum, in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Vessels must also sink at least 6,000 feet underwater and 50 nautical miles from land.

About Riley Ceder

Riley Ceder is an editorial fellow at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice and human interest stories. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the ongoing Abused by the Badge investigation.

U.S. and Philippine Warships Patrol South China Sea

Aaron-Matthew Lariosa – August 1, 2024 7:21 PM

SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 31, 2024) – Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS 26) conducts a Maritime Cooperative Activity with Philippine Navy’s Gregorio del Pilar-class patrol ship, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS 16), in the South China Sea, July 31, 2024. Mobile, part of Destroyer Squadron 7, is on a rotational deployment operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter 2nd Class Diego Chavez)

U.S. and Philippine warships rendezvoused near a disputed South China Sea feature to conduct a joint maritime patrol on Wednesday.

USS Mobile (LCS-26) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) met off Leslie Bank, a maritime feature within Manila’s exclusive economic zone and Beijing’s 10-dash line claim. The littoral combat ship and ex-Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutter drilled in bilateral surface operations and communication, with a video released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines claiming that the two vessels took up a patrol formation.

According to the Navy, the joint patrol was meant to “demonstrate the strength of the alliance between the two nations and further advances combined capabilities in the maritime domain which support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

“Sailing together demonstrates commitment to our continued coordination with the Philippine Navy,” Capt. Justin Harts, commander of Destroyer Squadron 15, said in a press release on the maritime cooperative activity.

This activity is the latest in a series of maritime cooperative activities that began last year amid increasing tensions between the Philippines and China over their claims in the South China Sea, particularly over resupply missions to a Marine outpost at Second Thomas Shoal.

Joint patrols were envisioned in 2022 and 2023 to bring foreign partners into the South China Sea and Luzon Strait as a show of support. Philippine warships and aircraft have taken part in 10 bilateral and multilateral maritime and aerial patrols with countries including Canada, Australia, Japan and the U.S. since November 2023.

France has also been eyed as a participant pending the completion of an agreement between the two countries that would permit enhanced defense cooperation.

Despite the beginning of joint patrols last fall, incidents between Philippine and Chinese forces continued to escalate. The China Coast Guard’s use of water cannons, rammings and boarding actions eventually came to a head on a June 17 resupply mission when Canadian, Japanese, Philippine and U.S. jointly patrolled in the South China Sea.

This is the first time the Armed Forces of the Philippines has identified the relative location of a joint patrol, with a press release on the exercise saying the two vessels met at Leslie Bank, located 100 miles from the province of Palawan. While the feature is claimed by China as Yonghi Tan and Vietnam as Bãi Vĩnh Tuy, compared to other hotspots throughout the region, there is almost no active contest over the feature.

Following the exercise, Ramon Alcaraz resumed patrol duties and found a sunken Vietnamese fishing vessel at Jackson Atoll. It was later confirmed that the crew was rescued by another boat.

Four days before the maritime cooperative activity, the Philippines successfully resupplied its outpost at Second Thomas Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), following a yet-to-be-released agreement with China over the resupply of the grounded Second World War-era landing tank ship. Despite Manila and Beijing publicly disagreeing on the specifics of the deal, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken lauded the bilateral effort and urged China to uphold its end of the deal.

The joint patrol also occurred during Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to the Philippines, where he met with other high-ranking officials to finalize plans for further defense cooperation and modernization efforts under a half-billion-dollar investment from Washington into the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Austin also visited Subic Bay to examine potential defense industrial base opportunities at the former U.S. naval installation.

Kyiv receives long-awaited first F-16 fighter jets in major boost for Ukrainian air force

Tom Sables – 1st August 2024 at 12:44pm

Ukrainian pilots training with Nato F-16 fighter jets in May (Picture: Nato)

The first batch of long-awaited F-16 jets has arrived in Ukraine, marking a significant milestone in the country’s fight against Russia and the support it receives from the West. 

Kyiv has yet to officially confirm the aircraft’s arrival, but Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis posted on X: “F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible.”

Following months of pressure from Kyiv, US president Joe Biden authorised sending the American-built warplanes to Ukraine in August last year.

The US has not committed to sending its own craft, only joining others in training Ukrainian pilots on the platform, but it is thought nearly 80 F-16s will be sent from Belgium, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.

While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has lasted almost two-and-a-half years, the much-anticipated jet has been flying for half a century and has become the backbone of modern air forces across the world.

At 50 years old, the F-16, or ‘Fighting Falcon’ is a single-engine, multi-role fighter, that can carry bombs despite its dogfighting roots.

Importantly in the context of the Ukraine war, its thought maintenance of the jet is comparatively straightforward.

Several outlets are reporting the arrival of this first batch, although Ukrainian officials have previously suggested a greater total number would be needed to make a real impact on a frontline spanning hundreds of miles.

With around 3,000 F-16s in service today in 25 countries, it is the West’s most widely produced military jet.

Watch: Ukrainian pilots train with Nato F-16 fighter jets

US Battleship Believed to be USS Nevada in Melbourne, Australia 1926 and possibly USS Washington (ACR-11/CA-11/IX-39) in background.Confirmation appreciated

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US Battleship Believed to be USS Nevada in Melbourne, Australia 1926 and possibly USS Washington (ACR-11/CA-11/IX-39) in background.
Confirmation appreciated