The British Royal Navy's Trafalgar-class nuclear-powered attack submarine HMS Torbay returned to service this past April following an extensive year-long modernization. Improvements to the submarine, which displaces 5,200-tons (submerged), include a modernized type 2076 sonar system and the capability to launch Block IV Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. The missile, commonly referred to as the Tactical Tomahawk, represents a significant improvement over previous versions. In addition to boasting increased range, this newest variant contains a two-way satellite data-link system that enables dynamic in-flight retargeting and allows the missile to loiter above a hostile region. When a target of opportunity presents itself, the missile can then quickly be reprogrammed to engage. HMS Torbay is expected to undergo sea trials throughout early summer before returning to full service later this year. At least three additional units of the Trafalgar-class are due to receive similar upgrades in the next few years.
Royal Bahrainian Naval forces, including the guided-missile frigate Sabha, the ex-USS Jack Williams (FFG-24), pictured here, recently participated in the multi-national antisubmarine warfare exercise Arabian Shark '08. The exercise, which also involved Pakistani forces and a number of U.S. naval assets including the USS Carney (DDG-64), USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), and USS Norfolk (SSN-714), took place in the Northern Arabian Sea from 15-17 April. The previous month, Brigadier General Abdulla Saeed Al Mansoori of Bahrain's Navy took command of Combined Task Force 152, which is responsible for conducting maritime security operations in the central and southern Persian Gulf. This is the first time CTF-152 has been commanded by a local Persian Gulf nation.
In April, the U.S. Navy's only Advanced Seal Delivery System (ASDS), shown here atop the USS Greeneville (SSN-772), was tested at sea for the first time on board a converted Ohio-class cruise missile submarine. The ASDS, a small 55-ton mini-submarine capable of carrying Navy SEALs for covert operations, has long been considered one of the Navy's most troubled programs. Though proponents argue that additional units should be funded, reliability issues, higher than expected program costs, and naval cutbacks due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made additional purchases increasingly unlikely. The USS Michigan (SSGN-727), the Ohio-class boat that hosted the tests of this one-of-a-kind system, is among four former nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines converted to carry an extensive load-out of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Navy SEALs for special operations missions.