Category Archives: modern military conflict

‘AVTN-68’ Completes First Cat and Trap Evolution

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Since switching homeports in an epic way from Bremerton to Norfolk this summer, with elements of CVW-17 aboard just in case she was needed off Cuba or Venezuela, the 51-year-old USS Nimitz has shifted gears to training, a sort of unofficial re-rate to AVTN-68, leaving her old Carrier Strike Group 11 behind on the West Coast.

Last month, her sister, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), left Norfolk for Newport News Shipbuilding to begin her multi-year Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) midlife maintenance and modernization phase, which is expected to run until November 2031-ish.

That left HST’s regular air group, the historic Carrier Air Wing 1, without a deck to call home and Carrier Strike Group 8 without its namesake carrier.

Enter Nimitz, who, along with the “Gladiators” of Fleet Replenishment Squadron VFA-106, hosted CVW-1 squadrons and the budding aviators of Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Air Wings 1 and 2 for a week of underway carrier evolutions with CSG-8.

A T-45C Goshawk, attached to Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Training Air Wing 2, approaches the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) for landing during student naval aviator carrier qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean, Nov. 4, 2026. Nimitz is underway in the U.S. 2nd Fleet area of operations in support of Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic training and readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Alyssa J. Boling)

Aircraft conduct flight ops onboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, October 28, 2026. Nimitz is currently underway in the Atlantic as a part of Carrier Strike Group 8. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Recruit Adam Sytkowski.)

During the overall underway, Nimitz supported 103 sorties, 442 arrested landings, and 152 touch-and-goes, ranging from assorted Rhinos and Hawkeyes to T-45Cs, a platform that is sadly on its way out.

Slated to remain in service until at least March, when the “99 percent complete” JFK comes online, the Queen of the Fleet will likely have a few more training flights in the next four months.

The First Indonesian Aircraft Carrier is Not Just a Trojan Flattop

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The Italian Harrier carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) was built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone in the early 1980s and commissioned in September 1985.

At 14,150 tons and 591 feet overall, she could carry as many as 18 aircraft, a mix of Harriers and helos.

Italian Navy ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C-551) with nine AV-8B Harrier IIs and one Sea King on the flight deck carrier

During her 39-year-and-1-day career with the Italian fleet, she saw active combat with her AV-8B IIs thrice: Kosovo (1999, 30 sorties including warshot Mk 82 GBU-16 bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles), OEF Afghanistan (December 2001 to March 2002, 288 sorties) and Libya (2011, dropped 160 Mk82s across 1,221 flight hours).

Garibaldi was the Amphibious Task Force Commander Landing Force in Norway in 2024

Augmented in 2008 by the STOVL F-35B-capable ITS Cavour (CVH 550) and replaced by the 33,000-ton ITS Trieste (L 9890), she was decommissioned on 1 October 2024.

Given to Indonesia as a grant after two years in ordinary service, Garibaldi departed Taranto for Indonesia on the evening of 24 August 2026 under the Italian flag and arrived in Indonesia on 20 September, swapping flags four days later when she became KRI Sriwijaya (100), commissioned by TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto in Tanjung Priok. Her voyage included 100 selected Indonesian Navy personnel and a training team of Italian specialists from DRASS, led by retired ADM Liborio Palmombella.

Sriwijaya’s escorts will be four Balaputradewa-class frigates, a licensed British Arrowhead Type 31 variant currently under construction by PT PAL, equipped with 64 VLS cells loaded with a mix of Turkish HISAR MR and SIPER LRs.

Operational

With a reduced 400-man crew (the Italians ran 550 plus embarked air group), she has been conducting rotor operations underway in the past couple of weeks with, first, AS565 MBe Panther ASW aircraft of Skadron Udara 100, then Bell 412EP medivac aircraft of Skadron Udara 400, and four big AS332 Super Pumas and H225Ms of Skadron Udara 8.

The exercise also covered several advanced flight techniques, including high-altitude reconnaissance (High Recce) and low-altitude reconnaissance (Low Recce), simulated approaches without touching the ship’s deck (Dummy Approach), brief landings followed by immediate takeoffs (Touch and Go), and full-stop landings (Full Stop).

Drone carrier use?

The Navy also plans to carry Turkish Bayraktar TB3 combat UAVs in the future (60 are on order), which are also planned for Turkey’s local flat-top, the LHD Anadolu. 

Speaking of Turkish drone tech, a Bayraktar TB2 last week did a proof-of-concept evolution carrying 16 Skydagger FPV one-way kamikaze drones underwing, and loosed two on a profile that led to successful attacks.

A Bayraktar TB2 medium-altitude long-endurance tactical UCAV configured as an airborne mothership carrying 16 Skydagger FPV kamikaze drones (eight under each wing) during a test in Keşan, Edirne, Türkiye.

Should we mention that the RN recently tested its first offensive drones from HMS Queen Elizabeth? 

Could Indonesia be the last Harrier operator?

The country’s CNO, Admiral TNI Muhammad Ali, also said there could be plans to add Harriers back to the carrier. Keep in mind that the Italians and Spaniards still operate the last pool and plan to retire them in just a few years.

“Yes, the hope is like that. If the Navy wants it to be like that. But it depends on the budget conditions and others,” Ali said when asked by reporters about the plan to target Harrier fighter aircraft for aircraft carriers at Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta, in September.

Burke Repair! Get Your (Overseas) Burke Repair!

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NORFOLK, Va. (May 16, 2026) – Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) returns to Naval Station Norfolk, May 16, 2026, following a historic 11-month deployment to U.S. 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Fleets as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. During their historic deployment across four fleets, the crew of Mahan conducted 19 replenishments-at-sea and executed 25 sea and anchor details. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Smalls, III)

The U.S. Navy has 75 active Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, 10 under construction, and 13 more on order, for a planned total of 99. Without a doubt, they are the backbone of the Fleet, which only has about 115 active surface combatants of all types (DDG, LCS, CG).

However, on the current 36-month OFRP block, each of these active ships needs to undergo a 6-8 month Selected Restricted Availability (SRA/DSRA), including a dry-docking every five years or so, and shorter 2-4 weeks-long Continuous Maintenance Availabilities (CMAV).

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 36-Month OFRP Cycle Rotation │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
├── 1. Maintenance Phase (Approx. 6–7 Months)
│ • Selected Restricted Availability (SRA)
│ • Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA)
│
├── 2. Basic Training Phase (Approx. 4–5 Months)
│ • Systems integration, unit-level certifications
│
├── 3. Integrated Phase (Approx. 2–3 Months)
│ • Strike Group integration exercises (COMPTUEX)
│
├── 4. Deployment Phase (7–8 Months standard)
│ • Overseas combatant command deployment
│
└── 5. Sustainment Phase (Remaining months)
• High-readiness surge state; routine pierside repairs (CMAVs)

Then, with old ships at mid-life, an 18-24 month DDG MOD 2.0 Modernization is on the table, followed by at least a final SLEP at the 30-year mark. Keep in mind that Burke herself is 35 years old and still going strong. 

It looks something like this when you put it together:

Timeline / Ship Age Maintenance Milestone Primary Focus & Scope
Years 5–10 First Major DSRA Structural hull inspection, tank preservation, shaft pulling, sonar dome maintenance, and Baseline Aegis software/hardware upgrades.
Years 15–20 Mid-Life Mid-Period Availability (MPA) Major machinery overhaul, generator refurbishments, habitability upgrades, and combat system patch updates.
Years 20–25 DDG MOD 2.0 / Modernization Overhaul Comprehensive mid-life modernization lasting 18 to 24 months. Includes structural retrofits, installing modern combat systems (e.g., Aegis Baseline 9/10), SEWIP Block III electronic warfare suites, upgraded SPY radar arrays, and major hull/mechanical refreshes.
Years 30–35+ Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Deep structural hull/piping repairs, main reduction gear re-alignments, and system overhauls to extend operational readiness beyond the original 35-year design life out to 40+ years.

Now multiply that by 75 hulls (soon to be 99), and you get the idea of why the Navy has maintenance backlogs.

While only two shipyards make Burkes (Ingalls at Pascagoula and Bath in Maine), just three East Coast yards (BAE Systems Norfolk, General Dynamics NNS, and BAE Systems Jacksonville), and four West Coast yards (General Dynamics NASSCO, BAE Systems San Diego, Continental Maritime of San Diego, and Vigor in Seattle) do almost all the maintenance work.

The Navy’s four public yards prioritize nuclear ships (CVNs, SSBNs, SSGNs, and SSNs) and have no bandwidth for DDGs.

Forward-deployed tin cans get a shorter refresh at Navantia (five Rota-based FDNF Europe destroyers in 6th Fleet) and via SRF-JRMC (10 7th Fleet DDGs of DESRON 15 at Japanese yards such as Sumitomo and Mitsubishi). Don’t be surprised to see 7th Fleet tin cans in South Korean yards at some point in the near future as well.

With that being said, there are changes afoot to help alleviate the maintenance burden on CONUS yards.

Navantia recently started including drydocking in its maintenance schedule, the first since the 2014 arrival of FDNF-E destroyers.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) sits in dry dock at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz Oct. 8, 2026. The evolution marks the first dry docking of a U.S. Navy warship in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations since the arrival of Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe destroyers and expands forward-deployed maintenance capability and readiness generation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jett Morgan)

Likewise, the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) recently completed a week-long pier-side voyage repair period in Mombasa, Kenya, aboard the destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71), marking the first U.S. Navy ship maintenance availability in Mombasa in recent years. Ross is part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group and had been deployed for six months when it swung by Mombasa.

A rough Ross arriving in Mombasa, 5 September 2026. 260905-N-NO901-1002

A more trim Ross leaving Mombasa, 10 September 2026. 260910-O-N0901-1001

With 350 military and civilian personnel based out of Naples, FDRMC is a globe-trotting group able to roam around 5th and 6th Fleet areas and use friendly ports for short repairs. Such groups will be invaluable in any Pacific war (or continued Middle East war with Bahrain vorboten), and more should be stood up. Pronto.

Speaking of which, Austal USA launched AFDM 15 this summer, the U.S. Navy’s first Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium built in more than 40 years. The dock can service DDGs, CGs, LCSs, & LSDs, etc.

The Navy had 14 such AFDMs during the Cold War, but now AFDM-15 is the only one, with no more on order.

As Salamander says, that is a crime, and at least four should be bought, as a minimum.

Interesting what a sole frigate can do (if you have one)

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The days of the old Spanish Armada have long gone, but today’s Spanish Navy just wrapped up a historic 160-day, 24,000nm globetrotting deployment that included the country’s first warship participation in RIMPAC.

Spain deployed the CODAG Aegis guided-missile frigate ESPS Álvaro de Bazán (F101) to the Pacific during the biannual exercise, where the ship engaged in multinational air defense, surface warfare, and live-fire drills. The latter included a Harpoon warshot expended in a SINKEX against the ex-USS Peleliu (LHA 5).

Spanish Navy Ship ESPS Álvaro de Bazán (F101) launches a Harpoon missile at the hulk of decommissioned Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) during a combined sinking exercise in the Pacific Ocean as part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, July 17, 2026.

Spanish Navy frigate Álvaro de Bazán (F-101) Bay of Acapulco, Mexico deployment in the Pacific

Spanish frigate EPS Álvaro de Bazán in the Panama Canal

She carries a 5″/54 forward, has a 48-cell VLS, 8-can Harpoon AshM battery, carries a single SH-60, and has a fit for four (4) triple Mk32 ASW torpedo tubes– which is a lot of tubes these days. Her sensor suite includes a SPY-1D 3-D phased array radar, active and passive sonar, two SPG-62 illuminators, and an Aegis combat system plus EW and countermeasures. That is a lot of firepower and capability in a 5,600-ton ship. For reference, she is about 1,000 tons heavier than a Knox-class FF, but much more capable

Prior to sending a warship to Hawaii, Spain attended RIMPAC ’24 as an observer country without deploying surface vessels or submarines.

Bazan just returned home last week to the Arsenal de Ferrol, with the proud flag flying.

However, this wasn’t her first Pacific cruise.

In 2007, she completed the first circumnavigation of the globe by a Spanish warship in 142 years (the last being a three-year circuit by the French-built, iron-hulled armored steam frigate Numancia from 1865-68), and made the first visit by a Spanish man-of-war to Australia in over 150 years.

Plus, Spain has four more or less identical sisters to Bazan, while the newer CODELAG F110 (Bonifaz)-class Aegis frigates, of which at least five are planned, are even more advanced.

The first, Bonifaz, is being fitted out ahead of commissioning, while the second, the future ESPS Roger de Lauria (F 112), was launched at Navantia Ferrol last week.

Spanish fragata F112 Roger de Lauria clase F110 launched 27 October 2026 at Ferrol

Spanish fragata F112 Roger de Lauria clase F110 launched 27 October 2026 at Ferrol

Spanish fragata F112 Roger de Lauria clase F110 launched 27 October 2026 at Ferrol

So tell me again why Spain can pull this off, and we haven’t had a proper FFG since 2005, when the SM-1 platform was stripped from our remaining OHPs, and we’ve never had an Aegis ship smaller than a cruiser-sized destroyer?

Looks like AUKUS is getting real(ish)

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The Virginia-class USS Colorado (SSN 788) arrived at Perth’s HMAS Stirling last week for a scheduled month-long Submarine Maintenance Period, marking the fourth SMP in Western Australia since the AUKUS security partnership began.

Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Colorado arrives at HMAS Stirling for a scheduled Submarine Maintenance Period in Western Australia. *** Local Caption *** The United States Submarine Maintenance Period 2026 (USSMP26) marks an important step in Australia’s preparations for the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-W), which is on track to commence from 2027. The USS Colorado’s visit to HMAS Stirling will demonstrate Australia’s growing ability to sustain US and UK nuclear-powered sub

GARDEN ISLAND, Australia (Oct. 27, 2026) – Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) arrives at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia on Oct. 27, 2026, for a planned submarine maintenance period (SMP) supporting AUKUS, the trilateral security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. During the SMP, more than 30 fully trained and certified Australian civilian technicians from ASC Pty Ltd. will perform routine maintenance on a Virginia-class submarine in Western Australia

The previous three boats included USS Hawaii (SSN-776), supported by the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39), from August to September 2024; USS Vermont (SSN-792) without tender support from October to November 2025 and with a blended USN/RAN workforce; and the far-ranging RN Astute-class sub HMS Anson (S 123) from February to March 2026, which integrated local Australian-made components and systems into the boat.

Key activities to be undertaken during Colorado’s upcoming Maintenance Period include:

  • The installation of an Australian-made sail maintenance scaffolding, also known as a ‘racetrack’, which will sit around the submarine during its time at HMAS Stirling –  giving workers safe and rapid access to carry out submarine maintenance work
  • Personnel from Australia, the UK and the US working side-by-side to conduct off-hull capability demonstrations using specialized training equipment and locally produced submarine components
  • Australian personnel conducting in-hull maintenance work, including replacing the thin line towed array and ship repairs
  • Use of the newly upgraded Diamantina Pier at HMAS Stirling, demonstrating Australia’s increased readiness to sustain conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines.
  • Australian personnel (supported by US personnel) conducting simulated radiological scenarios that exercise radiation safety practices and procedures, with no radioactive waste being transferred ashore.

This is important as Colorado, a Block III Virginia packing 12 VLS slots along with her torpedo tube-launched weapons, is a fairly new boat, just eight years in the fleet. Based at Pearl, she is slated to be the first boat assigned to the Perth-based Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) beginning in late 2027. The deployment will last about one year.

The Australians, whose submarine arm dates back to 1914 with HMAS AE1 and AE2, currently operate six aging Collins-class SSKs (the youngest commissioned 23 years ago) and have roughly 850 men in the branch.

They plan to buy purchase three-to-five used Virginias in the early 2030s as a decade-long stopgap measure between the retirement of the Collins-class and the acquisition of five new-built 10,000-ton British-designed/American armed SSN-AUKUS class submarines, which are tentatively set to begin construction at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia in 2027 (hold your breath) with the first entering service with  Rolls-Royce PWR3+ reactors in “the late 2030s.”

Read that as the RAN will probably run their surplus Ginnys for 20 years without replacement.

Either way, RAN says it has 230 personnel in various stages of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine training pipeline, with 400 to be on hand by 2030. A retired Australian admiral says a force of 3,000 nuke-qualified submariners will be needed to operate five SSNs, and recruitment will obviously need to step up robustly.

Further, the Brits are putting all their eggs in the SSN-AUKUS basket, intending to buy “up to 12” boats, built at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and Rolls-Royce’s Raynesway facility, to replace their seven hard-used Astutes. Steel cutting for the first British SSN-AUKUS is scheduled for 2027 and operational entry in the late 2030s.

Read that as the Brits will probably get six Ginnys of their own in the 2030s. Perhaps with a Submarine Rotational Force-Atlantic (SRF-Lant) kicking off in the late 2020s with a forward-deployed Ginny at, say, Holy Loch.

I mean, I want AUKUS to work and would love the Brits to have 12 and the RAN to have at least five, but the track record isn’t there.

Hopefully I am wrong.

Why can’t we have nice things…

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It is hard to look at our LCS and stillborn FFG program then see something like this.

Check out this great overhead shot of the 6,600-ton Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate HDMS Niels Juel (F-363) of the Royal Danish Navy.

Forward you have a pair of OTO Melara 76mm guns, while the amidships “missile deck” holds 16 Harpoon Block II cans, and a 32-cell Mark 41 VLS for SM-2 IIIAs, flanked by two 12-cell Mk.56 VLS for Enhances Sea Sparrows. Aft is a Oerlikon Millennium 35mm CIWS, overlooking the helo deck atop the hangar for an MH-60R Seahawk. Not seen are two pairs of  MU90 Impact 324mm ASW torpedo launchers.

The Harpoons are being replaced missile-per-missile with the NSM while her soft kill countermeasures (Terma Mk 137 130mm decoy launchers and Seagnat Mark 36 SRBOCs) are being augmented by the new Rheinmetall  Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS).

A great in-depth 45 minute doc on another Huitfield, HDMS Peter Willemoes, is here.

More Crazy Numbers from CVW-9

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An update to the tally for Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), which just returned from a 322-day deployment to the Middle East, including over 150 days in a combat zone.

These are individual squadron return snippets:

Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet, logged over 4,500 flight hours while executing over 2,400 sorties, including 807 combat sorties. They expended 394,227 pounds of ordnance and successfully destroyed 33 one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles and anti-ship cruise missiles.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist ¬¬¬Seaman Cesar Zavala)

Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133: Flying the EA-18G Growler, the squadron logged 2,284 flight hours across 1,190 sorties, including 720 combat hours.

An EA-18G Growler, assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Angel Campbell)

Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 117 flew more than 2,939 hours and completed 745 carrier-arrested landings while increasing qualifications and experience throughout the command. An amazing accomplishment for a four-aircraft det.

An E-2D Hawkeye, assigned to Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 117, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Angel Campbell)

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71: The squadron logged more than 5,800 flight hours across 1,990 sorties, including 1,963 combat hours. The squadron’s maintenance department played a critical role in maintaining the squadron’s operational readiness, completing over 100,000 maintenance hours throughout the deployment to keep HSM-71’s 10 MH-60R Sea Hawks airborne across four warships.

An MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71, takes off from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Sept. 13, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Cesar Zavala)

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 logged more than 3,000 total flight hours across 1,032 sorties, including 940 combat flight hours. Their aircraft and crews successfully transferred 900 personnel and 750 critical parts for 12 ships and 88 aircraft in a contested combat environment, while maintaining continuous Search and Rescue (SAR) readiness to support CSG-3 and CVW-9 over 300 days at sea. Over 10 months, the squadron defended the carrier during multiple Hellfire engagements against enemy air and surface threats, moved over 14 million pounds of cargo and ordnance, and transported over 900 personnel within the CSG.

An MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, transfers cargo on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during a vertical replenishment with John Lewis-class replenishment oiler USNS Earl Warren (T-AO-207), Sept. 11, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shepard Fosdyke-Jackson)

Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, Detachment 2 (three CMV-22B Ospreys). The squadron successfully executed 269 logistics sorties, transporting critical personnel, high-priority cargo, and mail between the carrier, other ships within the strike group, and shore facilities. The high-performing detachment executed eight complex moves, logging 825 flight hours, 269 sorties, and 159 combat flight hours. The squadron delivered 340,069 pounds of cargo, 1,669 passengers, and 85 distinguished visitors. The detachment also completed the first-ever long-range sortie requiring midair refueling, delivering parts over 1,350 miles on 38 occasions.

A CMV-22B Osprey from Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 embarked aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), returns to its home station at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., following 10 months of operations in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexander Timewell)

Three key squadrons, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, and Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, have not been published.

I will add them if they pop up.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026.  (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist ¬¬¬Seaman Cesar Zavala)

An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, launches from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist ¬¬¬Seaman Cesar Zavala)

An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Oct. 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Angel Campbell)

Echoes of Fleet Week by the Golden Gate

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Today’s San Francisco is a far cry from the city it was during WWII, but it can still turn out for the Navy at Fleet Week.

U.S. Navy photo

U.S. Navy photo

Check out this view of the Parade of Ships under the Golden Gate, past Alcatraz, possibly including the last passing of a cruiser and an LSD.

You will see USS Ashland (LSD-48), USS Cape St. George (CG-71), and USCGC Munro (WMSL-755). You will also see USCGC Benjamin Bottoms (WPC-1132) and the former USS Potomac (AG-25)/USCGC Electra (WPC-187).

A Decent Looking CSG by any measure

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How about this great PHOTEX featuring the 30,000-ton F-35-equipped Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550), her companion strike group, and the multinational squadron of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2), sailing together during Exercise Mare Aperto (Italian for “Open Sea”) ’26 in the Western Mediterranean.

The Freedom-class littoral combat ship off Cavour’s port side is actually TCG Burgazada (F-513), a Turkish Navy Ada-class ASW corvette that’s almost a dead ringer for the LCS, but with some decent sub-busting gear.

Note the collection includes 13 escorts and three replenishment ships. At least six are FREMM-class frigates (Italian Bergamini class, French Aquitaine class), with their very distinctive tall silhouettes visible.

Cavour is carrying a mixed air wing of 11 AV-8B and F-35Bs, an AB212, and two SH-90s.

The exercise runs until 24 October in the waters around Sardinia, with the Cavour group at its core.

For those curious, SNMG2 is under the command of Greek Commodore Georgios Kypriotis on his flagship, the Elli (Kortenaer) class HS Kountouriotis (F462), with the Spanish Bazan-class frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo (F103), Italian FREMM (Bergamini)-class ITS Federico Martinengo (F596), Turkish corvette TCG Burgazada (F513), and Spanish AOE ESPS Patiño (A14).

Carrier Group escorts include the frigates ITS Virginio Fasan (F 591), along with the Spanish Bazan-class SPS Cristóbal Colón (F 105), and Santa Maria (FFG 7) class SPS Navarra (F 85).

Gremlins and Hornets: Gun Industry Leaning into Drone-on-Drone Combat

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Last week, Federal, Mossberg, and SIG quietly announced new initiatives to arm unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for future air-to-air combat.

SwarmShot

Federal Ammunition, Mossberg,  and the Palladyne AI Corp have teamed up to develop “SwarmShot,” which is being described as a modular, autonomous airborne counter-UAS system. In other words, an armed drone that is capable of shooting down other drones.

Designed to counter hostile drone swarms affordably and effectively, the system will integrate Federal’s unnamed specialized counter-UAS shotshell ammunition, a lightweight Mossberg airborne weapon module (we guess based on the 990 Aftershock autoloader), and Palladyne’s IntelliSwarm autonomy software.

One of these, san grips, fore arm, and anything else not needed, fired via solenoid:

Gremlin-X has a 10-pound payload and the 990 Aftershock, loaded 5+1, only goes a bit over 7, with furniture, which won’t be needed.

Initially launching as a modular mission add-on for Palladyne’s Gremlin-X quadcopter mini-bomber, which will let a single aircraft toggle between precision-strike and counter-drone missions, effectively a small drone “fighter bomber,” the technology is planned to expand into a kit for drones made by others.

“One SwarmShot-equipped aircraft is a reusable interceptor. Multiple aircraft operating through IntelliSwarm become a coordinated kinetic swarm,” said Ben Wolff, President and CEO of Palladyne AI. “Gremlin-X gives us the first complete system, and the multi-OEM kit gives the partnership a path to scale.”

As for Mossberg, they are engineering the weapon module around a set of unique requirements of recoil, remote actuation, reliability, and safety. Meanwhile, Federal, building on recent counter-drone work with the U.S. Army, will determine the best loads for the module.

“Federal provides the terminal effect. Mossberg provides the weapon. Palladyne AI provides the reach, intelligence and teammates,” Wolff said.

SIG Debuts the Hornet

This week at the Association of the United States Army trade show in Washington, D.C., SIG Sauer exhibited not only its staple small arms but also a whole slate of drone technologies including the fixed-wing Scythe in two different sizes and the 5-inch Saber quad-copter.

 

The XRAY9 C-UAS optic, sure to see at least some trials with the NGSW…

And a super interesting .22 LR “payload attachment.”

Dubbed the MH322 M-Hornet, the module is a light (under 21 ounces), electronically actuated, remote-controlled .22 LR firearm designed to be used “across compact unmanned platforms.”

The SIG M-Hornet. (Photo: SIG)

Servo-activated, it has a 20- or 25-round magazine and offers visible or IR laser aiming. With the “322” designator, you have to wonder how much of the Hornet is based on the P322 pistol, which uses a stainless steel internal chassis that holds the fire control unit and is one of the neatest new rimfire handguns on the market.

At SHOT Show earlier this year, we saw SIG with an underslung M250 6.8mm light machine gun on an APUS-60 quadcopter UAV, so it’s nice to see a more compact kinetic option as well.

The future is now, guys.

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