Alpha Carry: My Range Time with the Kimber 2K11 Pro Comp in 9mm

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Alabama-based Kimber went double-stack 1911 in 2024 after at least a 30-year run in the field of making single-stacks. We have reviewed a couple of these excellent pistols since then and are past the 3K round mark on our original test gun with zero (0) hiccups to report, leaving us feeling good headed into the new Comp series.

Released in January at the SHOT Show in either stainless (SST) or black in both 5-inch full-sized (Government) and 4.25-inch Pro (Commander) sizes, with flush-fit 20- and 19-round magazines, respectively, as the name would imply, the Comp models all sport a compensated barrel and slide.

Meet the stainless 2K11 Pro Comp SST, our test gun:

Kimber stainless 2K11 Pro Comp SST
The 4.25 model has an overall length of 7.79 inches. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Kimber stainless 2K11 Pro Comp SST
Weight is 33.4 ounces, even with a full-length rail on the frame’s dustcover.

This gun was a dream to shoot on the range. Full stop.

We ran a bit over 1,000 rounds through it and should probably talk about how we ran them. Coming after our trouble-free 3,000-round review of the full-length 2K11, we had a feeling the 2K11 Pro Comp would be able to comfortably digest just about any commercial load we could throw at it.

So that’s what we did.

A typical range box for our Pro Comp field trip:

Kimber stainless 2K11 Pro Comp SST
Note the mix of rounds. About the only thing that unites them is that they are factory 9×19 Luger/Para loads. We’ve got some Speer, Hornady, and Federal JHP in there, Federal Syntech in a few different loads (the colorful rounds), Remington bulk pack 115 FMJs, CCI Blazer Brass 115s, some Winchester 124 NATO loads, et. al. We would typically try to mix up the rounds in each magazine to include everything from 115s to 150s from numerous loads. No issues. 

If you prioritize a gun that looks great, shoots better than it looks, and gives you minimal heartburn while still being carryable in a pinch, the Kimber 2K11 Pro Comp is a “cry once, buy once” option.

It ran so well on the range and felt good in the hand that finding things to complain about is a chore.

Holsters for double-stack 1911-style railguns with a commander-length slide are a bit tough to find. The nose of the 2K11 Pro makes it even harder. Luckily, Kimber has gone the extra mile and stocks a variety of 2K11-specific OWB and competition holsters on their site from Blackpoint, Ghost Hydra, and Red Hill Tactical. Still, we’d love to see folks like Galco, DeSantis, Falco, Philster, Safariland, and Tenicor cranking them out as well, especially in an IWB format because this shorter 2K11 could make a great carry gun, giving the Staccato CS or HD C4X some serious competition.

Other than that, about the only sticking points that got under our skin were the fact that you had to leave the excellent rear sight at home when you opt for a red/green dot. Further, the mag release and safety lever were stiff right out of the box but wore in over time.

Candidly, I really dig it.

Kimber stainless 2K11 Pro Comp SST
The Kimber 2K11 Pro Comp. 

Brushing up on your armored cavalry

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The 67-page Summer 2026 edition (Volume CXXXVIII, No II) of Armor Magazine: The Mounted Maneuver Journal, is online for free download.

TOC:

Link here.

Enjoy!

Bicentennial, RN Flattop style

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Some 50 years ago today. A full half-century, “an old ship with a young crew” calls at a lost colony, “all’s forgiven.”

The pride of the Royal Navy, the Audacious-class aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R09) entering Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 30 June 1976, with the crew eager to commemorate the Bicentennial of the United States. The historic ship’s visit and life aboard were featured in the popular 1976 BBC documentary series “Sailor.”

Arrayed aboard are FG.1 Phantoms of 892 NAS, Buccaneers of 809 NAS, Gannets of 849B NAS, Sea Kings of 824 NAS. A Wessex SAR from the Ships Flight is also on deck.

Shipping back to Plymouth, her Bicentennial deployment logged some 37,850nm and became the cover of her crew book.

All would be gone just three years later when Ark Royal decommissioned, the last full-sized British carrier to “cat and trap” conventional aircraft.

13th Horse on the March

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Some 90 years ago today.

Fort Riley, Kansas, 29 June 1936.

The 13th U.S. Cavalry Regiment is seen returning to garrison from its last march as a horse cavalry outfit before shipping off their mounts, trading horse shoes and oats for tires and tracks. The regiment’s colonel at the time was Charles “Lutie” Lewis Scott (USMA 1905), a noted horseman, prominent in the Cavalry Branch as a across an array of organized horse shows, polo matches, fox hunting, and endurance races.

Note, they are outfitted in marching order, complete with gun belts and M1911s. U.S. Signal Corps Photo 111-SC-108064, National Archives Identifier 523751061

The 13th Cavalry Regiment was first constituted on Groundhog’s Day 1901 with its first unit, Troop K, standing up at Fort Meade, South Dakota, on 26 July of the same year.

Spending much of its early years in the Philippines on counter-insurgency operations, the 13th Horse then shifted gears to police the border with Mexico from 1911 through 1916, which included pursuing Mexican outlaw Pascual Orozco.

With about 350 men (four Troops and the MG Troop) already stationed at “Cavalry Camp” in Columbus, New Mexico, they were on hand to repulse Pancho Villa’s raid on the border town that left the unit with 14 casualties versus 100~ suffered by the Villaristas in a 90-minute firefight, which led to Blackjack Pershing’s Punitive Expedition to chase old Panch into the Chihuahua desert.

Mexican Punitive Expedition, 13th Cavalry marching out of El Valle, 1916 111-SC-93333

Retiring from the border in 1921 after missing out on going “Over There,” with the rest of the Doughboys to France in the Great War, the horse soldiers helped film several early western movies, including “The Pony Express” in 1925 and “His First Command” in 1929.

They also notably conducted a 625-mile march from Fort D.A. Russell (now Francis E. Warren AFB, west of Cheyanne, Wyoming) to Fort Riley in good order over 30 days, carrying all their own supplies and bivouacking in the field long before there were interstates and rest stops.

13th Cavalry marched 625 miles to Fort Riley, Summer 1927 111-SC-91997

The regulars of the 13th started to receive their first trucks and motorcycles in 1927, in the slow decade-long transition to becoming a mechanized unit.

Leaving Ft Riley, they were assigned to the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) at Fort Knox and began to receive the brand-new M1 Combat Car in 1937.

13th Cavalry M1 Combat Car operating cross-country. Fort Knox, Kentucky. August 1938 111-SC-108927

Thompson submachine gun mounted on a Harley flathead motorcycle of the HHC Troop, 13th Cavalry Regiment, August 1938, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Note the early round “Old Ironsides” sleeve patch and the riding boots. 111-SC-108934

By 1940, re-badged as the 13th Armored Regiment (Light), they had an allowance for 82 M3 Scout Cars and 136 M3 Stuart Light Tanks, tasked with armored recon, and would soon be receiving M3 (Lee) medium tanks.

Shipping out with the “Old Ironsides” of the 1st Armored Division, the 13th landed in North Africa for Torch in November 1942, went on to lock horns and learn from the Afrika Korps the hard way in Tunisia. They saw their first major combat since 1916 at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, which was one tough proving ground for American armor.

M3 medium tank crew from Company F, 13th Armored Regiment, displays assorted 75mm ammunition. North Africa, 1942-43. Rounds from left to right are 75mm APCBC-HE-Ta shell M61, 75mm AP-T shot M72, and 75mm HE shell M48. Signal Corps 167328 via NARA.

The unit then traded its M3 Stuarts for M5s and M3 Lees for M4 Shermans to land in Europe for the invasion of Italy in November 1943. They pushed all the way up the Italian “boot,” ending the war nearly at the Swiss border, and earned seven battle streamers: Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead), Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, North Apennines, and Po Valley.

Then came occupation duty as the 13th Constabulary Squadron (which ironically included some horses), Cold War reorganization, activation, and inactivation until the 1st Battalion, 13th Armor (1-13 Armor), was stood back up on 16 February 1996 at Fort Riley, Kansas, and assigned once again to the 1st Armored Division. Of note, it had been nearly 60 years on the nose since the unit had hung up its horses at that very base to switch to tracks.

Since then, they have been overseas again to South Korea, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and today the only active Squadron, 2-13 Armor, is the armored recon unit for Old Ironsides’ 3rd Brigade, and is based at Fort Bliss. They ride Bradleys and Abrams.

Their motto is “It Shall Be Done,” and they are still nicknamed the 13th Horse.

FLEETEX 250: Nimitz Never Looked Better

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Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations last week steamed in formation with the most grand of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz (CVN-68) herself, in Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 under the aegis of U.S. Second Fleet. The ships assembled the week of the 16th for preplanning and briefings with the At-Sea Execution (June 22-29) for a series of training serials, a fleet formation photoex, and a final free-play battle problem.

We have covered Nimitz’s final cruise with attention and a bit of wistfulness, as she is seemingly ageless and still reflects power, prestige, and potential.

Here are some great images of the photoex, captured by Mass Communication Specialists Frankie M. Guage, Julian Jaime, and Johnathan McCune.

Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations steam in formation with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as part of Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. Nimitz is underway taking part in Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250, a series of structured multilateral training events at-sea, aimed at building cohesiveness, validating tactical procedures, and strengthening the interoperability of participating units—which include warships, aircraft, and crews from the U.S. and 13 partner and allied nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Frankie M. Guage)

Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations steam in formation with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as part of Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Julian Jaime)

Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations steam in formation with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a multinational maritime exercise as part of Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. 

Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations steam in formation with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a multinational maritime exercise as part of Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. 

Participating nations in FLEETEX 250 include Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

You didn’t even have to bring your own ship to join the jointness, as USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) welcomed 10 naval ship riders from both the navies of Ghana and the Côte d’Ivoire, flown in for the event. At the same time, other vessels embarked guests from Cyprus, Cameroon, Morocco, and Senegal.

USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) welcomed 10 naval ship riders from both the Ghana Navy and the Côte d’Ivoire Navy for FLEETEX 250 (USCG photo)

USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) welcomed 10 naval ship riders from both the Ghana Navy and the Côte d’Ivoire Navy for FLEETEX 250 (USCG photo)

Stingray spotted

Photographed aboard Nimitz was a Boeing MQ-25A Stingray on her No. 3 Cat with two Rhinos behind the big UAV. It really gives a sense of scale to the U.S. Navy’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft, which boasts a 75-foot wingspan (31 folded) compared to the F-18E/F’s 44-foot span.

The Stingray has already been vetted for refueling F-18s, F-35s, and E-2s in operational testing and, once integrated into airwings as the KQ-25 in two squadrons (VUQ-11 and VUQ-12) with 76 airframes planned, could be a game changer for strike operations.

Plus, and nobody really talks much about this, Stingray has two underwing hardpoints, which will likely be used most of the time for extra fuel tanks, but can also be used for things like LRASM and, with a gigantic internal fuel capacity, could be a dark horse strike asset in its own right.

Greyhound’s Final Race

The last ever arrested landing and later final catapult launch of a C-2A Greyhound from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier happened last week, on Nimitz during FLEETEX250. The aircraft carried VADM Doug Perry, commander of both the Joint Force Command Norfolk and the 2nd Fleet, for a visit to CVN-68.

The aircraft involved was C-2A(R) BuNo 162159 (Modex 40), which was built during the Greyhound’s second run in the mid-1980s. Two other VRC-40 ‘Hounds (BuNos 162149 and 162157) operated from Nimitz the same day as well, but 159, flown by the Rawhide’s LT Nik “Boody” Fagen, was the last to both trap and cat, capping a 60-year run for the type.

A C-2A Greyhound, attached to the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40, lands on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the last ever arrested landing of a Greyhound on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Alyssa J. Boling)

A C-2A Greyhound, attached to the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40, takes off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), making the last ever catapult launch of a Greyhound from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Peter K. McHaddad)

First flown in 1964, the mighty Greyhound, capable of carrying 10,000 pounds of cargo, including an entire engine for any carrier-based aircraft in its hold, is being replaced by the new “mailman of the fleet,” the CMV-22B Osprey, which can carry 6,000 pounds of cargo, including the F414 (used in the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet/EA-18G Growler).

As noted by the C-2A Greyhound Facebook page, since Osprey doesn’t trap or cat, this brings a close to another chapter in naval history:

For generations, enlisted Sailors had the unique opportunity to become Tailhookers, sharing the same catapult launches and arrested landings as Naval Aviators while serving aboard the Greyhound. With the retirement of the C-2A, that opportunity has also come to an end. It is a loss that will be deeply felt throughout the Fleet Logistics Support community, as well as by organizations such as the VAW/VRC/VUQ Foundation and the Tailhook Association.

The Last Greyhound

One final salute to steam and sea,
One final launch from the carrier’s knee.
The shuttle caught, the holdback broke,
A roar of power, a plume of smoke.
She rose where countless others flew,
Through salted skies of endless blue.
With mail and hope, with parts and men,
She always found her way again.
Not built for glory’s loud parade,
But for the promises she made—
To bridge the miles, to span the foam,
To carry pieces of home.
One final trap upon the deck,
A wire caught with practiced check.
The hook released, the engines sighed,
As history stood alongside.
The flight deck paused—a fleeting grace—
Old hands remembered every face.
The shirts of every color knew
The faithful work the Greyhound drew.
Now newer wings inherit the call,
To serve the fleet and answer all.
Yet echoes linger in the wind,
Where steel and ocean have long been friends.
For every launch must someday cease,
And every landing comes in peace.
But legends never fade away—
They sail with every carrier day.
Fair winds, faithful Greyhound.
Your final catapult was not an ending,
but the last line in a logbook
written across nearly sixty years of sea and sky.

Besides the last lap of the ‘Hound, Nimitz had another blast from the past recently when working with the Argentine Navy, and two visiting Armada S-61D-4 (SH-3A) Sea Kings of EAH2 conducted ops from her deck.

An Argentine Navy SH-3 Sea King, attached to 2da Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Helicopteros (EAH) 2, lands on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) for a subject matter expert knowledge exchange and embark between U.S. and Argentine service members held onboard the Nimitz while the ship is underway in the Atlantic Ocean, April 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jaron Wills)

What next?

Following the exercise, many participating units – joined by the historic tall ships – will sail to New York City to take part in the seventh International Naval Review 250 from July 3-8.

Nimitz will be in the Big Apple as well.

“Adding USS Nimitz to the International Naval Review 250 roster brings a legendary piece of American naval history and maritime dominance directly to the heart of this celebration,” said Vice Adm. Doug Perry, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet. “For five decades, the Sailors aboard Nimitz have stood the watch, defending freedom and ensuring global maritime security. Having this iconic warship anchor in New York Harbor alongside our international partners will be a breathtaking tribute to our nation’s 250th anniversary and a powerful demonstration of American resolve.”

Sometime after that, Nimitz arrives in Norfolk. Cruising over. One last party to schedule.

Has the Coast Guard Started its own MSC?

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Well, this dovetails nicely into our conversation the other day about the Navy looking to rent its way out of its fleet oiler crisis.

Seems the Coasties are doing the same thing…

The USCG, which is increasingly being tapped for Navy-adjacent blue water ops far away from any American coastline, is getting its first vessel “contracted in a new initiative using commercial vessels to transport supplies, equipment, and personnel to Coast Guard cutters” operating at sea.

The new (to them) vessel is the blue-hulled Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean (HSC-Ocean), a long-term charter from Louisiana-based Bordelon Marine.

Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean is moored at U.S. Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Florida, June 26, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Reese Hindmarsh)

Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean is moored at U.S. Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Florida, June 26, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Reese Hindmarsh)

The HSC-Ocean initiative will rapidly deploy this leased commercial asset to augment the Coast Guard’s existing fleet, enhancing the Service’s ability to control, secure, and defend U.S. borders and maritime approaches. The initiative is designed to provide a rapid, adaptable, and effective way to deliver logistics support to high-demand, multi-mission cutters, such as the Fast Response Cutter fleet. By delivering supplies and personnel directly to cutters underway, the vessel will help keep Coast Guard assets on station longer and focused on mission execution.

In short, a rented patrol boat tender with civilian mariners “driving the bus” and embarked Coasties calling the shots.

HSC Ocean started as the M/V Connor Bordelon, a 257-foot/3,285 LT “Ultralight subsea intervention vessel” with a 60-ton AHC crane and 17m USCG/ABS Certified D Value helideck capable of supporting up to an AW189 (8 ton class) aircraft (the Coast Guard’s MH-65 weighs half that).

Connor Bordelon is fairly new, just completed in 2013, is rigged to support diving and multiple ROVs, has a work deck big enough to burn doughnuts on, and has room for 60 berths, including 24 showers and eight stacked laundry units. When it comes to support, she can carry nearly 70,000 gallons of potable water, produce another 3,100 a day via a Neptune system, and carry 122,000 gallons of diesel.

Under the contract, Bordelon Marine will provide a fully crewed commercial vessel operated by civilian mariners, under the direction of a Coast Guard crew. The vessel will transport supplies, equipment, and mission-essential personnel in support of Coast Guard operations. The contractor will be responsible for vessel operations and maintenance, while embarked Coast Guard personnel will coordinate logistics and support mission execution.

The Globetrotting French

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While the Royal Navy has been increasingly in doldrums, its love/hate sister fleet across the Channel has been hard at work.

The French Navy celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, and you can tell they are going big.

Big Chuck

On 18 May, while deployed in the Indian Ocean, the sole French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle (R91) celebrated 25 years of entering active service.

How it started:

Since 2001, she has been holding down deployments around the world in Operations Heracles, Agapanthe, Harmattan, Arromanches, Clemenceau 19/21/22/25, etc., and has traveled in excess of  865,000 nautical miles, and logged more than 60,000 catapult traps.

She had sailed from Toulon in late January for the multinational ORION 26 exercise in the Baltic, then had been shifted to a more war-adjacent deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean and now the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea.

While scheduled for long-term maintenance for July 2026, this could very well be bumped.

Le vendredi 15 mai, sur le pont d’envol du porte-avions Charles De Gaulle, lors du catapultage d’un E2C Hawkeye ainsi que plusieurs Rafale marine. Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et ses escorteurs ont franchi le canal de Suez le 6 mai 2026, sur ordre du Président de la République, afin de rapprocher le groupe aéronaval de la zone du détroit d’Ormuz. 

Le samedi 13 juin, sur le pont d’envol du porte-avions Charles De Gaulle, lors du catapultage d’un E2C Hawkeye ainsi que plusieurs Rafale marine. Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et ses escorteurs ont franchi le canal de Suez le 6 mai 2026, sur ordre du Président de la République, afin de rapprocher le groupe aéronaval de la zone du détroit d’Ormuz.

Le samedi 13 juin, sur le pont d’envol du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle, lors du catapultage d’un E2C Hawkeye ainsi que de plusieurs Rafales marines. Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle et ses escorteurs ont franchi le canal de Suez le 6 mai 2026, sur ordre du Président de la République, afin de rapprocher le groupe aéronaval de la zone du détroit d’Ormuz.

At least three French frigates, the replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier, and an SSN have deployed with CdG. Several allied frigates (Spanish, Dutch, and even a Brit, HMS Dragon) have tagged along as well.

Meanwhile, two Mistral-class LHDs and five other frigates are active in the Eastern Med and Red Sea, performing tanker and container ship escorts among assorted taskings under the EU’s Operation Aspides.

On June 10, a French FREMM-class multi-mission frigate escorted the largest container ship sailing under the French flag, the 24,212 TEU CMA CGM Notre Dame, through the Bab el Mandeb Strait as part of the Aspides mission.

Mission Jeanne D’Arc

Back in February, the French Navy Mistral-class LHD Dixmude (L9015) and the La Fayette-class frigate Aconit (F713) set sail for an extended deployment dubbed Mission Jeanne D’Arc, in an ode to the training cruiser of the same name, which made 800 port calls in 84 countries and traveled 1.7 million miles around the globe in her 30-year career.

The two ships are carrying 160 officer cadets on their summer cruise, a detachment from the 34F Flotilla equipped with an AS565 Panther helicopter, a 36F Flotilla detachment with S-100 Camcopter drones, and a group of 3e RIMa Marines to rotate out the 400 deployed members of the Guadeloupe-based 33rd RIMa.

Also present on board the Fourth Air Combat Brigade (4e BAM) with two NH90 Caiman helicopters and two Gazelles from the 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment (3e RHC). Also carried are Flexrotor UAVs and a Sirehna unmanned surface vessel.

Le 03 mars 2026, lors du passage du détroit de Bab El-Manded, un poste aviation a lieu pour effectuer de la surveillance maritime. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditerranée orientale, mer Rouge, ainsi qu’à travers l’océan Indien, dans le cadre de la mission « Jeanne d’Arc  

Le 03 mars 2026, lors du passage du détroit de Bab El-Manded, un poste aviation a lieu pour effectuer de la surveillance maritime. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditerranée orientale, mer Rouge, ainsi qu’à travers l’océan Indien, dans le cadre de la mission « Jeanne d’Arc 

They first sortied to the Indo-Pacific, where they took part in Balkatan 26, Papangue 26, and La Perouse 26, then doubled back to the Americas for Operation Atlantia, conducting port calls and exercises all the way, making sure to stop by every French colony within striking distance to show the flag.

This has included taking part in Caraibes 2026 with Barbados, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, and Marambaïa 26 with Brazil.

Dixmude at Guadelupe

FS Dixmude (L9015) and FFH Aconit (F713) arrived in Halifax on May 29

What a recruiting poster! Dixmude at Guadelupe, with her 160 embarked naval cadets, no doubt loving life

Mistral-class amphibious assault ship FNS DIXMUDE docked at Cape Town harbour

FS Dixmude (L9015) i FS Aconit (713) widać FS Confiance (P733) off Guyana

Le PHA Dixmude en Atlantique Nord, lors d’un phénomène météorologique créant des nuages en surface, le 28 mai 2026. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale, mer Rouge, ainsi qu’à travers l’océan Atlantique, dans le cadre de la mission “Jeanne d’Arc 

FS Dixmude (L9015) in Mombasa

This has seen her embarked marines hold and seize beaches from St. Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Canada to Brazil, Guadeloupe, and the Philippines.

Forces armées aux Antilles, French Op Caribes, Dixmude’s landing craft and 33 RIM marines

Un EDAR s’apprête à débarquer des véhicules du GTE, à Marie Galante, le 17 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale 

Débarquement par EDA-S des soldats du 3e RIMA à Basse-Terre pour un exercice de prise de fort, le 19 mai.
Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale, m

Un EDA-S s’apprête à débarquer des véhicules du GTE à Marie-Galante, le 17 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée 

Un VBL de la section PEI en progression dans les pistes de Marie Galante, en recherche de la FORAD, le 17 mai.
Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. Du 17 février au 14 juillet 2026, le groupe amphibie, composé du porte-hélicoptère amphibie (PHA) Dixmude et de la frégate de type La Fayette (FLF) Aconit, est déployé en Méditérannée orientale

Assaut de l’entrée du fort par une section de soldats brésiliens, dirigées par deux sous-officiers français, à Basse Terre le 19 mai, lors d’un exercice de prise de fort. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre. 

Un EDAR du Dixmude rejoint la plage pour le rembarquement des troupes à l’issue de l’exercice, sous la surveillance d’une soldat française, posté à l’entrée du fort Delgrès, à Basse Terre le 19 mai. Du 17 au 21 mai 2026, le Groupement Tactique Embarqué participe à la première phase de l’exercice Caraïbes 26, qui les opposent à des membres du 33e RIMA, entre Marie Galante et Basse-Terre.  

Entrainement du groupement tactique embarqué à terre, comportant une désignation de cible pour frappes aéroportées, et simulation d’évacuation médicale par hélicoptère, sur l’ile de Miquelon, le 06 juin 2026. 

Le 6 mars 2026, pendant l’opération ATALANTA, les 2 EDA-S à bord du PHA Tonnerre réalisent un déradiage simultanée, avec une mer défavorable.  

Le 06 juin 2026, Le groupe Jeanne d’Arc 2026 arrive en escale à St Pierre et Miquelon. C’est l’occasion pour le PHA Dixmude et l’Aconit de réaliser différentes cérémonies auprès de la population, dépose de gerbes, cérémonie du 06 juin et cérémonie des 400 ans.  

They just wrapped up exercises with the U.S. Marines and Navy off Little Creek, which included cross-decking an MV-22 and an LCAC, and is due back in France for Bastille Day.

Dixmude with an American V-22 on her deck while working out with U.S. Marines off the Virginia Capes last week

Stosskopf

Intermittently, Dixmude and Aconit have teamed up with the brand new 31,000-ton replenishment ship BRF Jacques Stosskopf, which was recently commissioned and just completed a 155-day, 38,000nm independent cruise that included trialing the new H160M Guépard helicopter and conducting 40 replenishments at sea.

Jacques Stosskopf sailing between the frigate Aconit and the amphibious assault ship Dixmude

Jacques Stosskopf sailing between the frigate Aconit and the amphibious assault ship Dixmude

Jacques Stosskopf sailing between the frigate Aconit and the amphibious assault ship Dixmude a

She has also teamed up with other French and allied assets around the hemisphere.

Jacques Stosskopf  Dutch De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate Zr. Ms. De Ruyter (F804) and the British Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33) during ORION 26 in February.

Shadow Fleet Grief

French naval commandos seized another oil tanker from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily this week. Flying the Cameroonian flag, the MT Deliver was sailing from Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk and boarded on Tuesday after allegedly violating maritime law.

Deliver was the fifth tanker seized by France since it launched an enforcement campaign against Russia’s shadow fleet last September in what Moscow calls “another act of piracy.”

In late May, French authorities, with British help, detained the Tagor in the Atlantic on suspicion of flying a false flag and arrested her Russian master.

In January, French forces impounded another suspected Russian tanker, the Grinch, and in March, the Deyna, sailing from Murmansk under a Mozambican flag, was detained in Marseille.

Last September, the French navy boarded the Boracay, which claimed to be flagged in Benin.

Roaming paradise

The new 262-foot/1,300 ton Félix Éboué class patrouilleur outre-mer (overseas patrol boat) Jean Tranape (P782) just made it to her first homeport, the French colonial capital of Noumea in New Caledonia.

She did so after a nearly three-month unescorted sortie that saw her leave Brest in April, cruise across the Atlantic to the colony of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, visit Halifax, the Bahamas, and cross through the Panama Canal before participating in Exercise Marara with her sister Teriieroo a Teriierooiterai (P780) in French Polynesia.

The new patrol boat, armed with a 30mm Nexter Narwal autocannon, two .50 cals, two FN MAGs, and  Aliaca UAVs, has a crew of 30 but can accommodate a platoon of marines if needed.

Jean Tranape joins her sister, Auguste Bénébig (P779), in Nouméa and is one of six POMs ordered to replace the much smaller (179-foot/400-ton) P400 class OPVs formerly used for the task.

Sister POMs Jean Tranape (P782) and Auguste Bénébig (P779) are French patrol boats at Noumea in New Caledonia

Tall ship fever

Meanwhile, the French Navy’s windjammer, the 123-foot, two-masted schooner Belle Poule, is actively participating in the Sail 250 flotilla and is set to sail into Baltimore this week.

From there, she will continue on to port calls in New York and Boston for the 4th.

Meet the new and improved Hurricane!

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The RAF had a new kid on the block, some 86 years ago this week– just in time for the Battle of Britain.

While the original Hawker Hurricane entered service in 1937, the more advanced Mk.IIA prototype was a “war baby” and first flew on 11 June 1940, with squadron production beginning in September 1940.

Note these are early Mk.IIAs with the then-experimental quad 20mm cannon fits, two in each wing. (NARA 44266494)

The main difference between the type and the original Mk.I series was that it was stretched 4.5 inches to accommodate a larger (1,260hp) liquid-cooled Merlin XX V-12 piston engine with a two-speed supercharger instead of the 1,030hp Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk II/III. While the difference in speed was negligible (only about 20mph more), the longer fuselage shifted the center of gravity and made it more stable. Further, its heavier “universal wing” allowed a more robust armament fit, including 20mm (and later even 40mm) cannons.

Hawker built 418 Mk.IIAs, while the Gloster Aircraft Company delivered 33.

Subsequent Mk.II sub-variants (such as IIB, IIC, and IID) were delivered through 1944, with the chief differences being in armament to include so-called “Hurribomber” variants. In all, 4,710 assorted MK IIs were produced, about a third of the Hurricane’s total run of 14,583.

In fact, the last Hawker-built Hurricane was a Mark II variant. Shortly after its first flight on 22 July 1944, it was dubbed “The Last of the Many” in a call back to Churchill’s “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” remarks from the Battle of Britain.

The last Hurricane built by the Hawker Aircraft Company, Mark IIC, PZ865 “The Last of the Many” was decorated with banners and pennants on its completion at Langley, Berkshire. PZ865 was bought off the original Ministry of Aircraft Production contract by Hawkers and was retained as a communications and test aircraft. It continues to fly with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. IWM (CH 13673)

While the last Mk.II Hurricane was retired from squadron service in 1951 (at the time with Portugal), they have proved luckier than their sisters in old age. Of the 50 or so preserved Hurricanes, more than half (27) are Mk.IIs, including at least three that are still airworthy– including The Last of the Many.

$35 Billion for Mr. THAAD

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The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptor, first fielded in 2008, is, along with Aegis SM-3, the exo-atmospheric ballistic missile defense “meat” in the layered air defense sandwich between the full-on ICBM-killing Ground-Based Interceptor, and shorter-range MIM-104 Patriot and SM-2.

The thing is, the Army only has a grand total of eight THAAD batteries, and in the recent escapades in the Middle East, reportedly anywhere between 15 and 50 percent of the total U.S. THAAD interceptor stockpile has been expended.

So the meat is getting pretty thin on that sandwich.

As it moves toward rebuilding and expanding that inventory (keep in mind all the Gulf States are buying them as well), the Pentagon has just given Lockheed a 7-year, $35 billion award for more THAADs.

For that same amount of taxpayer slush, the Navy could get 13 of the newest SM-3 slinging Flight III Burkes (maybe even 14 or 15 if done in a block buy), each of which will serve for 30 years, or almost three new Ford class CVNs (airwings not included), which would each serve for 50.

Just saying.

Anyways, via DOD/DOW contracts:

Lockheed Martin Corp. Missiles and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas, is awarded a multi-year procurement sole-source, fixed-price incentive, undefinitized contract for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptors. The total value of this contract is $35,327,237,604. Under this contract, the contractor will produce THAAD missile rounds, under fixed-price contract line-item numbers. The work will be performed in Dallas, Texas; Sunnyvale, California; Troy, Alabama; and Camden, Arkansas. The performance period is from March 2026 through June 2032. One offer was solicited, and one offer was received. Fiscal 2026 procurement funds in the amount of $842,871,672 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

 

Navy Looks to Rent its way out of Fleet Oiler Crisis for Pacific Ops

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U.S. Pacific Fleet oiler USS Hassayampa (AO 145) refuels two ships simultaneously while underway at sea. To the right is the attack carrier USS Hancock (CVA 19), and on the left the destroyer USS McKean (DD 784) on Yankee Station during Vietnam at a time when the fleet had some 100 fleet oilers on the Naval List. NHHC L45-121.03.01

During the naval build-up for World War II, Maritime Commission standard T2 and T3 tankers were converted to US Navy oilers (AO)s with relative ease. By the time VJ-Day came, this fleet included 35 large (22,000-ton) T3 Cimarron-class, and 60 even larger 25,000-ton Kennebec/Suamico/Mission Buenaventura-class T2 oilers.

And that’s not even including tankers requisitioned from trade, and older Kanawha/Patoka/Kaweah class oilers left over from the circa 1917 expansion.

That’s well over 100 large tankers in haze grey.

And Nimitz needed every single one.

It is no secret that the lack of oilers to send to the Southwest Pacific in 1942 led Nimitz to hold back his *numerous available battleships from the opening acts of the Guadalcanal campaign for lack of bunker fuel to feed them. *(USS Maryland, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania were only lightly damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor and rejoined the Pacific fleet relatively quickly after, while USS Idaho, Mississippi, and New Mexico were also available, but largely spent 1942 on the West Coast and Eastern Pacific.)

The saga of the oiler USS Neosho (AO-23) from Pearl Harbor to the Coral Sea, during which Admiral Cox referred to her as a “critical strategic asset,” is legend. Further, the ship that took her name after she was sunk, USS Neosho (AO-48), well earned her 13 battle stars for World War II service.

The Navy well remembered the tanker lessons of WWII throughout the Cold War and kept many of the AOs from that era on the payroll for as long as their engines held out– even buying a dozen more T2s from the commercial market after the 1956 Suez crisis pointed the way.

Even with all of the old tankers soldiering on, the Navy still invested millions into six 38,000-ton Neosho-class oilers in the 1950s, eight 40,000-ton Wichita-class AORs, and four massive 54,000-ton Sacramento-class AOEs in the 1960s, even while the Navy began cranking out nuclear-powered carriers, cruisers, and destroyer leaders.

To keep the fleet in fuel as the older T2/T3s began to retire in the 1980s, a new breed of Cimarron-class AOs and fast Supply-class AOEs were ordered.

By 1995, with block obsolescence catching up and the Cold War over, the Navy’s armed grey-hulled oiler fleet had dwindled to a still very respectable 13 Cimmaron and Wichita class AO/AORs, eight Sacramento and Supply class AOEs, and 16 further new 50,000-ton gas turbine-powered AOE(V) class ships planned. Added to this were 16 42,000-ton Henry J. Kaiser-class T-AOs operated by the Military Sealift Command with primarily civilian crews. That’s a hard 30-40 tankers, bube.

Since then, the follow-on AOE(V) class never materialized, the remaining Cimmaron, Sacramento, and Wichita class replenishment ships have been put to pasture, and everything else has long ago been transferred to the MSC. Today, the MSC only has 20 tankers: four new John Lewis-class T-AOs, two aging fast T-AOEs (Supply and Arctic), and 14 assorted Kaisers.

Well, enter the rented tanker turned fleet oiler.

The 58,000-ton MSC chartered Motor Tanker Empire State was built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego with MARAD funds and officially entered service under a long-term charter agreement in October 2010. She even has a DANFS page. 

Empire State is one of 10 U.S.-flagged chartered commercial tankers in MSC’s inventory. They are not USNS grey hulls, but fly normal “bright” commercial livery and have MT designations with an MSC hull number, for instance, MT Empire State (T-AOT 5193).

MT Empire State (T-AOT 5193) 101007-N-IS698-0001

While usually used to shuttle fuel to overseas bases, Empire State last year notably conducted an underway replenishment at sea with the big deck phib USS Tripoli (LHA-7). During the evolution, the two ships remained on station side-by-side at 12-15 knots for 40 minutes with wet lines attached, transferring F-76 diesel ship fuel.

Military Sealift Command’s chartered Motor Tanker Ship Empire State and U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) conduct the first Consolidated Replenishment at Sea (CONSOL) between Tripoli and a tanker ship, 9 June 2025. MSC Photo 250530-N-WD133-4432 by Sarah Cannon

Before that, at RIMPAC ’22, another contract tanker, MT Maersk Perry, transferred JP-5  and diesel to the three MSC fleet auxillaries: USNS Henry J Kaiser (T-AO 187), Pecos (T-AO 197), and Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11), during CONSOLS-at-sea.

Now, as reported by Naval News, the Navy is looking for 10 more contract tankers to operate in similar roles. 

Note these contract announcements on Wednesday, basically laying out a process to rent-an-oiler for at $100 million a pop from now through 2031. Emphasis mine.

Federated Maritime LLC, Boca Raton, Florida, is awarded a $21,557,995 firm-fixed-price contract with pass through reimbursable elements (N3220526C1244), for time charter of one clean, Coast Guard approved, upon delivery U.S. flag or foreign flag to be reflagged prior to delivery, double hull tanker with an inert gas system and segregated ballast tanks that is capable of carrying a minimum of 240,000 barrels of clean petroleum products (intention JP5, JP8, JAA, or F76) within the vessel’s natural segregation in designated cargo tanks with double valve isolation. This contract includes a 12-month base period with three one-year option periods, and one 11-month option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $97,749,572. The contract will be for worldwide performance, with intentions to operate in the Western Pacific. The contract is expected to be completed if all options are exercised by May 2031. Transportation Working Capital Funds in the amount of $21,557,995 are obligated for fiscal 2026 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as full and open competition with proposals solicited via the Governmentwide point of entry and nine offers were received. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

U.S. Marine Management LLC, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $16,607,500 firm-fixed-price contract with pass through reimbursable elements (N3220526C1243), for time charter of one clean, Coast Guard approved, upon delivery U.S. flag or foreign flag to be reflagged prior to delivery, double hull tanker with an Inert Gas System and Segregated Ballast Tanks that is capable of carrying a minimum of 240,000 barrels of clean petroleum products (intention JP5, JP8, JAA, or F76) within the vessel’s natural segregation in designated cargo tanks with double valve isolation. This contract includes a 12-month base period with three one-year option periods, and one 11-month option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $97,138,351. The contract will be for worldwide performance, with intentions to operate in the Western Pacific. The contract is expected to be completed if all options are exercised by May 2031. Transportation Working Capital Funds in the amount of $16,607,500 are obligated for fiscal 2026 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as full and open competition with proposals solicited via the Governmentwide point of entry and nine offers were received. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

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