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First pre-production model of Army’s new Challenger 3 tank deploys to Germany for trials 20th February 2024 at 4:25pm

challenger 3 tanks sent to germany for latest trials CREDIT DE&S MOD.jpg

The Challenger 3 prototype will be put through its paces under ‘operational conditions’ to ensure it meets British Army standards (Picture: MOD DE&S)

The Army’s first pre-production Challenger 3 main battle tank has been sent to Germany to be put through its paces after rolling off the production line in Telford.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) announced that the Challenger 3 tank had been sent for final trials before production.

“The prototype will be put through its paces under operational conditions to ensure it meets British Army standards before production of final vehicles,” the post explained.

The post was accompanied by two photos appearing to show the tank being driven on a steep gradient and approaching a water obstacle.

The Challenger 3, is set to be the new Main Battle Tank for the future. Along with Ajax and Boxer, it will be “at the heart of the Army’s warfighting capability in the Heavy Brigade Combat Teams”, said the Army.

After this round of trials, it is expected that 140 tanks will be built and delivered to the British Army.

The Challenger 3 will be fitted with a new 120mm L55A1 smoothbore gun built by Rheinmetall, enabling the use of the most advanced ammunition available and commonality with many of Britain’s Nato allies.

What do we know about Challenger 3 so far?

  • The British Army will get a 140-strong fleet of Challenger 3 tanks.
  • The tanks are expected to reach initial operating capability by 2027.
  • The MOD then aims for the tanks to be fully operational by 2030.
  • It weighs 66 tonnes
  • It is a joint venture between UK-based BAE Systems and Germany-based Rheinmetall.

Watch: Expert says he’s found the ideal tank weight – and warns Challenger 3 is too heavy.

What new technology will the Challenger 3 tank feature?

  • The new tank will be fully digitised
  • It will be a 24-hour, all-weather tank
  • It will have a top speed of 60mph
  • Its main gun will fire high-velocity ammunition capable of travelling at faster speeds and have an increased range
  • Ammunition will be programmed from a new turret equipped with a 120mm smoothbore gun
  • The upgraded tank will feature a new automatic target detection and tracking system
  • They will have thermal long-range cameras and an upgraded engine with a new cooling system and suspension

Watch: Last October, Forces News took a look at the Challenger 3’s new cutting-edge digital periscope

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USS Delbert D Black concludes brief surge deployment with carrier Ford = By Diana Stancy

 


The destroyer Delbert D. Black returned to its homeport in Mayport, Florida, Sunday following a three-month surge deployment to support the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group.

Delbert D. Black departed Naval Station Mayport on Dec. 1 and joined the Ford in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to bolster deterrence efforts in the region following Hamas’ attack on Israel in October.

The brief underway tested a new concept by U.S. Fleet Forces Command head Adm. Daryl Caudle to bolster deployed strike groups with fresh destroyers and cruisers that the strike group did not initially deploy with.

The Delbert D. Black relieved the destroyers McFaul and Thomas Hudner that originally deployed with the Ford carrier strike group in May, allowing them to head home.

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Ford and its strike group returned to the states last month.

“The seamless integration of Delbert D. Black into ongoing operations established proof of concept for sustained and continuous combat operations at sea, which [enhances] the surface Navy’s ability to fight and win,” Cmdr. Adam Stein, commanding officer of Delbert D. Black, said in a Navy news release.

While with the Ford, the Delbert D. Black conducted escort, screening, and warfare commander functions with the strike group. Additionally, it integrated with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and participated in joint training evolutions with the Italian navy.

“We were ready for anything on this deployment, but still maintained high morale while answering our nation’s call,” Master Chief Keona Johnson, the warship’s command master chief, said in the Navy release. “This crew was able to maximize qualifications and become stronger warfighters.”

The Ford originally got underway from Naval Station Norfolk for its first full-length deployment in May, where it primarily operated in the European theater.

But weeks before its scheduled return, the Pentagon ordered the carrier to head to the eastern Mediterranean amid escalating tensions in the region and to provide support to Israel. Amid concerns of a broader conflict erupting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered multiple extensions to the carrier’s deployment.

The Ford finally returned to Norfolk in January, concluding 239 days at sea. The ship is now undergoing a maintenance availability focused on software upgrades and other general touch-ups.

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The USS St. Andrews (CVE-49) (originally AVG-49, later ACV-49) was assigned to MC hull 260 on 23 August 1942, a ship to be built to modified C3-S-A1 plans. She was laid down on 12 March 1943 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Tacoma, Washington; redesignated CVE-49 on 15 July; and launched on 31 July; sponsored by Mrs. Robert W. Morse; transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 7 December; and commissioned the same day as HMS Queen (D19) in the Royal Navy.

HMS Queen (D19)

HMS Queen served British and Allied escort forces in protecting the vital convoy supply effort across the North Atlantic in 1944, and in the Pacific campaigns in 1945. On 4 May 1945 aircraft of Queen’s 853 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, took part in Operation Judgement, the last air-raid of the European war, at Kilbotn, Norway. After hostilities ceased, she was converted to a troop carrier and used to bring British forces back from the Far East, before being returned to the United States at Norfolk, Virginia, 31 October 1946.

On arrival, Queen was decommissioned by the Royal Navy and was taken over by the U.S. Navy. In excess of Navy needs, CVE-49 was slated, in December, for disposal; struck from the Navy Register in July 1947, sold to the N.V. Stoomv, Maats, Nederland Co., Amsterdam, Netherlands and pressed into merchant service as Roebiah on 29 July 1947 (renamed President Marcos in 1967 and Lucky One in 1972). She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1972.

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HMS Curacoa was a C-class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. She was one of the five ships of the Ceres sub-class and spent much of her career as a flagship.

 

The ship was assigned to the Harwich Force during the war, but saw little action as she was completed less than a year before the war ended. Briefly assigned to the Atlantic Fleet in early 1919, Curacoa was deployed to the Baltic in May to support anti-Bolshevik forces during the British campaign in the Baltic during the Russian Civil War. Shortly thereafter the ship struck a naval mine and had to return home for repairs.

After spending the rest of 1919 and 1920 in reserve, she rejoined the Atlantic Fleet until 1928, aside from a temporary transfer to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1922–1923 to support British interests in Turkey during the Chanak Crisis. Curacoa was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1929.

In 1933, Curacoa became a training ship and in July 1939, two months before the start of the Second World War, she was converted into an anti-aircraft cruiser. She returned to service in January 1940 and, while providing escort in the Norwegian Campaign that April, was damaged by German aircraft. After repairs were completed that year, she escorted convoys in and around the British Isles for two years. In late 1942, during escort duty, she was accidentally sliced in half and sunk by the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary, with the loss of 337 men.

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Surface Fleet Review: Urgency, distributed firepower and numbers key to delivering Aussie naval power

 

HMAS Stalwart conducts a dual replenishment at sea with HMA Ships Brisbane and Toowoomba (Source: Defence)


Naval power is now front and centre for the Albanese Government, with an emphasis on urgency, distributed firepower and numbers set to transform the Royal Australian Navy, but has the Surface Fleet Review truly delivered this and what are we now getting?

Providing bountiful avenues for trade, a source of food and ancient foundation myths, from the earliest days of human settlement in Australia, the ocean has played an ever increasing role in the fabric of everyday Australian life.

In contemporary life, this has only become more important, as the largest island continent on the planet with a maritime jurisdiction of in excess of 8 million square kilometres, Australia, as a nation and a people, is defined by its relationship with the ocean.

The importance of this link to the regional and global maritime commons has only become more importance over the last half decade, as COVID and mounting global tensions off the back of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas which have now spread to engulf the Middle East.

Further compounding this is Australia’s uneasy relationship with the historic concept known as the “tyranny of distance” which is now rapidly being replaced by a “predicament of proximity”.

The rise of this “predicament of proximity” has only been accelerated by the rapid and unprecedented expansion of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy under Xi Jinping’s ambitious and aggressive new reimagining of Communist China.

Recognising this fundamental strategic and tactical reality, the Albanese government’s Defence Strategic Review has moved to reshape the Royal Australian Navy into a flexible, future-proofed force capable of meeting the tactical and strategic operational requirements placed upon the service by the nation’s policy makers.

At the core of this renewed emphasis, the review states, “Australia’s Navy must be optimised for operating Australia’s immediate region and for the security of our sea lines of communication and maritime trade”.

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/naval/13636-surface-fleet-review-urgency-distributed-firepower-and-numbers-key-to-delivering-aussie-naval-power?utm_source=Defence%20Connect&utm_campaign=20_02_2024&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1&utm_emailID=08511ddb2fc912d5e6c0cfa922ba81efbd5ec6226f92862da646e319a4f752c8

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Navy, Air Force wow at Napier’s Art Deco Festival While the Navy commemorated its historic connection to Napier, the Air Force turned up with punchy air displays.

 

19 FEBRUARY, 2024

Napier welcomed the return of the New Zealand Defence Force to Hawke’s Bay for their week-long Art Deco Festival, which concluded on Sunday.

The festival, cancelled since 2021 due to the Covid-19 years and the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle last year, regularly invites the Royal New Zealand Navy to commemorate the Navy’s service to Napier during the 1931 earthquake. Royal Navy vessel HMS Veronica happened to be in Napier on 3 February 1931, and after the 7.8 magnitude quake the crew went ashore to aid the city’s residents. HM Ships Dunedin and Diomede followed soon after.

View of the Royal Navy vessel HMS Veronica berthed in Napier. A note on the back of the photograph states that it was taken two hours before the Hawke’s Bay earthquake occurred on 3rd February, 1931. 

HMS Dunedin – Brisbane

HMS Diomede

The Art Deco Festival pays homage to the period when the city rebuilt itself in the architecture of the time. People dress up in 1930s clothing and Navy personnel, wearing uniforms largely unchanged since the 1930s, blend in easily.

Like the disaster in 1931, military personnel came to the aid of Hawke’s Bay after Cyclone Gabrielle a year ago, with HMNZ Ships Canterbury, Te Mana and Manawanui berthing in Napier to offload supplies. The NZ Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force achieved access and delivered supplies to rural Hawke’s Bay and East Coast communities.

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HMNZS Manawanui and its crew attended the festival, while a contingent of personnel from HMNZS Te Kaha drove to Napier to participate in events.

Navy personnel worked for two days on community projects in Eskdale, where communities are still recovering from cyclone damage.

Over the festival the Royal New Zealand Air Force aerobatics display team, the Black Falcons, put on three displays above the Soundshell on Napier’s Marine Parade. Saturday’s display mingled with the Vintage Car Display, led by the Royal New Zealand Navy Band and sailors marching from Clive Square to Marine Parade. Members of Manawanui’s crew took part in an historic recreation, riding on a trailer towed by a restored Fordson Model F Industrial tractor – the same one that transported HMS Veronica sailors through devastated streets in 1931.

On Sunday Napier citizens gathered to witness the ringing of the bell of HMS Veronica at the Veronica Sunbay, in remembrance to those lost in the earthquake.

Commodore Mat Williams, attending as the senior representative of the Defence Force, noted that the people of Napier now regrettably know the feeling of being part of an emergency response. Today, the ships are different and both men and women come ashore, he says.

“But it is the same values and work ethic that we see today. It is our people, not our ships, where the true capability lies.”

The sombre part of the festival over, the crowd migrated to the beach for the final Black Falcon’s display overhead.

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Royal Australian Navy warship docks in Vishakhapatnam, to take part in ‘MILAN2024’ exercise

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VISAKHAPATNAM: HMAS Warramunga, an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy on Sunday arrived in Visakhapatnam to take part in the multilateral naval exercise, ‘MILAN 2024,’ the Eastern Naval Command said.
According to the Eastern Naval Command, the participation of the Australian warship is a reflection of the close maritime partnership between the two countries.
“The Sunrise Command of the #IndianNavy extends a warm welcome to HMAS Warramunga, an Anzac Class Frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Participation of the ship in #MILAN2024 is reflection of the close #maritime partnership between the two nations and navies,” Eastern Naval Command posted on X.
Earlier today, Eastern Naval Command extended a warm welcome for Corvette 20 of the Vietnam People’s Navy and USS Halsey (DDG-97) of the United States Navy.
Naval vessels from Vietnam and the United States have arrived in Visakhapatnam for the MILAN 2024 maritime exercise,” the post on X remarked.
Additionally, the visit underscores the commitment to regional security and strengthens defence partnerships. MILAN 2024 serves as a platform for navies to engage in joint exercises and enhance interoperability,” the statement added.
While observing the role of ‘MILAN 24, the post signifies, “As Visakhapatnam hosts these naval vessels, it reaffirms its role as a key maritime hub, fostering cooperation among nations committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The exercise is expected to deepen bonds of friendship and promote peace and stability across the oceans.”
Moreover, the 12th edition of the MILAN exercise will be held from February 19 to 27 in Visakhapatnam and will see the participation of over 50 countries.
The theme of the exercise is “Forging Naval Alliances for a Secure Maritime Future.”
“The 12th edition of the MILAN exercise to be held at #Visakhapatnam 19 – 27 Feb 24 aims to provide a platform for the participating navies to share ideas to enhance #security on the high seas & ensure safety of #maritime commerce for growth & prosperity of all,” the Indian Navy posted on X.
“MILAN would be an excellent platform for the participating navies to share ideas to enhance security on the high seas and ensure the safety of maritime commerce for the growth and prosperity of all. In addition to building bridges of friendship and strengthening relationships, sea exercise would enhance interoperability, enable the exchange of best practices and boost confidence to undertake missions together in the future, to tackle common challenges,” the release added.

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Check out this magnificent image of the 11.500-ton cruiser USS California (CGN-36) late in her career, with Japan’s Fujisan in the background.

Commissioned 50 years ago today on 16 February 1974, California was the lead of her two-ship class of nuclear-powered guided-missile destroyer leaders (redubbed as cruisers in June 1975 to counter the rise in Soviet destroyer-sized “cruisers”).

In her late career configuration, seen above in the image from the CGN-38 Veterans Assoc, California is seen with twin Phalanx 20mm CIWS and twin Mk141 quad Harpoon cans installed. This was added to her original pair of twin Mk.13 Standard (MR) “one-armed bandit” launchers, ASROC matchbox launcher, and Mk.46 ASW torpedo tubes.

The “Golden Grizzly” led a happy life and was present at a myriad of Cold War crises including two circumnavigations of the globe. Despite the fact that she had received a New Threat Upgrade package in a 1993 overhaul, she, and the rest of the Navy’s nuclear-powered cruisers, were axed as part of the Clinton-era cruiser slaughter to skimp on the cost of a mid-life refuel that would have added 20 years to her lifespan.

USS California was deactivated on 1 October 1998, just 24 years after being accepted, then decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 9 July 1999. She was disposed of in the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear-Powered Ship-Submarine recycling program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Her recycling and scrapping was completed on 12 May 2000.

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HMAS Albatross (later HMS Albatross) was a seaplane tender of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)

 

HMAS ALBATROSS 1932

AWM Caption: AN AERIAL VIEW OF SEAPLANE CARRIER HMAS ALBATROSS WITH ONE OF HER SEAGULL AMPHIBIAN AIRCRAFT FROM 101 FLEET COOPERATION FLIGHT, RAAF, OVERHEAD. NOTE THE HATCH COVERING THE HANGAR ENTRANCE JUST FORWARD OF THE SUPERSTRUCTURE AND THE MOUNTING FOR THE UNFITTED CATAPULT TOWARDS THE BOWS. 

The original uploader was Nick-D at English Wikipedia

Hellenic Prince (former HMAS Albatross)

HMAS Albatross in 1938

S Albatross) was a seaplane tender of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), which was later transferred to the Royal Navy and used as a repair ship. Albatross was built by Cockatoo Island Dockyard during the mid-1920s and entered service at the start of 1929. The ship experienced problems with the aircraft assigned to her during her career: the amphibious aircraft she had been designed for were retired just before the ship entered service, the replacement aircraft could not be catapult-launched from the ship, and a new plane designed specifically to work with the ship began operations after Albatross was demoted from seagoing status in 1933.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Albatross_(1928)

DURING HER SERVICE WITH THE ROYAL NAVY, AS HMS ALBATROSS, THE SHIP RECEIVED BATTLE DAMAGE WHICH WAS NOT COMPLETELY REPAIRED BY THE END OF THE WAR. SHE PAID OFF IN 1945-06 AND WAS SOLD OUT OF SERVICE. IN 1947 SHE BECAME THE PRIDE OF TORQUAY AND WAS TO BE A FLOATING CABARET BUT THE PLAN FAILED. IN 1948 THE VESSEL WAS ACQUIRED BY GRAECO-BRITISH INTERESTS, CONVERTED TO A PASSENGER SHIP BEING SUBSEQUENTLY USED AS A MIGRANT SHIP TO AUSTRALIA, UNDER THE NAME HELLENIC PRINCE. DURING 1953 SHE WAS CHARTERED AS A BRITISH TROOP TRANSPORT. FINALLY IN 1953-11, THE SHIP WAS SOLD FOR SCRAPPING IN HONG KONG. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION).

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HMAS HMAS Whyalla (J153/B252), named for the city of Whyalla, South Australia was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II and one of 20 built on Admiralty order but manned by personnel of and later commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[1]

 

The ship was sold to the Victorian Public Works Department at the end of the war, who renamed her Rip and used her as a maintenance ship.[1] In 1984, she was purchased by Whyalla City Council, who put her on display as a landlocked museum ship in 1987.

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