user avatar
Xavier Vavasseur
@xaviervav
Naval reporter, @navalnewscom founder and chief editor, @FloridaTech alumni. Interest in Defense⚔️, Navy⚓, F1🏎️, Sci-Fi👽. Born in 🇼🇫
France
Joined August 2014
Posts
  • Pinned
    user avatar
    🧵My embark experience aboard @Warship_78 via COD... I had the rare chance to spend a few hours (which felt like a few minutes!) aboard USS Gerald R. Ford yesterday. The "newest and most advanced US Navy carrier" as I was told repeatedly👍. Here is how it went & what I saw ⤵️
  • user avatar
    Just in: France to transfer Mirage 2000-5 to Ukraine 🇫🇷🇺🇦
  • user avatar
    🧵 I had the rare chance to see and tour an SSBN being scrapped this week, at the @navalgroup shipyard in Cherbourg, Normandy
  • user avatar
    ***UPDATE*** @CovertShores hates being right about things. #OSINT What looks like the first photos of China’s ‘invasion barges’ he first reported in @navalnewscom recently navalnews.com/naval-news/202… The front barge (self propelled) is the smallest type, some are twice this
  • user avatar
    Just in: France will deliver 40 additional Scalp cruise missiles to Ukraine - President Macron 🇫🇷🇺🇦🚀
  • user avatar
    Many ships (and a submarine) have gathered in downtown Stockholm for the 500 years of the Royal Swedish Navy 🇸🇪⚓
  • user avatar
    The first in class FDI for the French Navy
  • user avatar
    👀Four FDI frigates spotted by @navalnewscom's cameraman yesterday at the @navalgroup shipyard in Lorient: 1 - Amiral Ronarc'h (D660) which was leaving the yard for the final time to join Brest naval base 2 - Kimon (F-601) in dry dock 3 - Nearchos (F-602) fitting out 4 - Formion
  • user avatar
    I had the rare chance to tour a PLAN Type 052DL... NANNING 162. No big camera allowed on board but filming short clips with 🤳was OK. The SWO escorting us was fluent in English and willing to share technical details (to a point...). Ship was in pristine condition 🇨🇳 #NAVDEX23
  • user avatar
    Two weeks ago, I received an unexpected call from the @MarineNationale asking if I would like to witness and cover the firing of an Aster 30 SAM from air defense destroyer Forbin 🚀 It took place on Wednesday. This was an extremely rare opportunity and a highlight in my career.
  • user avatar
    Tomorrow I will interview my friends at MHI about 🇯🇵🙇 - New FFM - Hibiki class for SURTASS
  • user avatar
    I was set to visit the Ford tomorrow (in Marseille, pierside) following an invitation by the US Embassy but I was informed this afternoon that "due to world events" the visit is off. Ford was supposed to be in Marseille and USS Normandy and other DDGs in Toulon.
  • user avatar
  • user avatar
    French president Emmanuel Macron requests a 400 billion € budget for the 2024-2030 military planning law. (Compares to 295 billion € for the current 2019-2025 period) 📈