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Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information. Check out last week’s report here .

Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer finally arrived in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), months after reports of a surge deployment in March to reinforce troops in the Middle East during the war against Iran. Boxer deployed on March 18 and transited the Pacific westbound before entering the Indian Ocean in early May, but never crossed into the CENTCOM AOR. Rather than continue to the Middle East, the ARG disaggregated: Boxer doubled back to Singapore and the South China Sea, where Portland was still operating, while Comstock moved on to CENTCOM. Boxer and Portland transited the Malacca Strait northbound in late June and have re-aggregated with Comstock in the AOR.

USS Boxer (LHD 4) and USS Portland (LPD 27) sail in formation while transiting the Indian Ocean. U.S. Central Command photo

The U.S. now has four big-deck warships on station in the Middle East – two aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush , and two amphibious assault ships, USS Tripoli and USS Boxer – representing a step up in naval force posture while negotiations with Iran develop. In contrast, the U.S. appears to be drawing down its forward-deployed strategic bomber forces, with the last B-52 Stratofortress bombers departing RAF Fairford last week , according to plane spotters.

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) underway in the Middle East. U.S. Navy photo

USS Nimitz , on her final transit , arrived in New York City on July 3 and anchored off the coast of Stapleton, Staten Island, ahead of the International Naval Review (INR) 250 on July 4. Nimitz sat at anchor in New York Harbor during INR 250, the pinnacle event of the Navy’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday and the largest international maritime event in U.S. history, which featured over 70 U.S. and allied naval vessels and tall ships. Before pulling into New York, Nimitz departed Mayport, Florida, last week and steamed up the east coast while conducting ordnance offload . The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray demonstrator drone , also known as the T-1, was on full display once again.

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits the Hudson River. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Xavier Alicea

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower moored in Norfolk on July 2 after a two-week work-up supporting Carrier Qualifications (CQ) and East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS). Student naval aviators were aboard and successfully completed CQ from June 27-30, according to a release on DVIDS . “The multi-day training evolution focused on developing the next generation of fleet aviators, specifically highlighting pilots navigating the E-2 Hawkeye pipeline.” Eisenhower is preparing to deploy in early 2027, TWZ previously reported .

T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft launches off of the flight deck of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Miguel Santiago

USS Carl Vinson returned to San Diego after completing flight deck certifications and CQ with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 from June 25 to July 1. The Navy formally announced the completion of her nine-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), which TWZ reported last month . “Our Sailors’ efforts were vital in preparing Carl Vinson to return to sea,” Cmdr. Paul Novess, Carl Vinson’s maintenance officer, said. “It was my honor to bring Sailors from all rates into our 13 production teams to safely execute more than 359,000 man hours of maintenance.”

USS Theodore Roosevelt and amphibious assault ship USS Essex just wrapped up the in-port phase of RIMPAC 2026 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Both ships, along with several other participating units, have been hosting public events and open tours for the local community and visiting service members. The sea phase of the exercise is set to begin this week. Roosevelt was leaving Pearl Harbor, according to public AIS data , at the time of publication.

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Ryan A. LeCompte

After participating in the live-fire SINKEX of USS Juneau last week, USS George Washington has continued operations in the Western Pacific. The flattop and embarked CVW-5 were recently spotted in the Philippine Sea conducting flight operations , live-fire shooting drills, nighttime fast rope exercises , small boat evolutions, and physical training on the flight deck. Washington is operating alongside guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls , guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS Benfold , and fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota .

Fast-rope exercise on the flight deck of USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the Philippine Sea. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicolas Quezada

Note: Positions are general approximations. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious warships are not shown.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io

The post Where Are The Aircraft Carriers: July 7, 2026 appeared first on TWZ .

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Samsung has confirmed the long-rumored July 22 date for its next Unpacked event.

The latest Galaxy foldables will likely be the main focus of the announcements, especially the new wide Galaxy Z Fold 8.

We’re also looking forward to Samsung showing off the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours. Just hours ago, Google started sending out invitations for its big summer launch event, confirming plans to introduce the Pixel 11 series on August 12 . Ahead of that event, though, Samsung is going to have its own time in the spotlight to show off its latest hardware, as the company shares that its next Unpacked event will take place on Wednesday, July 22 , in London.

That’s both a date and location we’ve heard rumored for months now , and with just two weeks to go until zero hour, we’ve finally got confirmation . London’s a bit of an unusual choice of venue for Samsung, but considering how it’s playing with our expectations for its foldable lineup this year, maybe a fresh setting makes perfect sense. Don’t worry if you’re not in the UK, as Samsung plans to stream its announcements live, all around the world. With things kicking off at 2pm in London, you’ll be able to tune in at 9am Eastern or 6am Pacific, here in the States.

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Nissan is recalling 946 Sentra sedans over a driveshaft problem.

Shaft might not be fully seated and can result in loss of drive power.

Automaker is also recalling a handful of Rogue transaxle assemblies.

Nissan is recalling nearly 1,000 vehicles over two separate issues. Most of them are 2025 Sentras , but the company is also recalling transaxle assemblies used in the Rogue.

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Starting with the sedan, 946 vehicles have a driveshaft that may not be fully seated in the continuously variable transmission assembly. This can result in a loss of drive power as well as a transmission fluid leak. Under certain conditions, the vehicle could also move after being placed in park.

Review: 2026 Nissan Sentra Feels Too Nice For Its Price, But One Familiar Flaw Remains

Nissan first became aware of the problem last fall as a customer received a “CVT reduced power” message while driving. A dealership inspected the car and found an “abnormal noise from the transmission and a fluid leak originating from the driver’s side front axle area.” It was later determined the leak was coming from the front left-hand side of the transmission assembly as the drive shaft was not fully seated.

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A second incident was reported just four days later and an investigation was started. The problem was eventually traced back to a supplier production tooling error, which caused the end of the bearing to be slightly too large, resulting in seating failure.

Only 3.8% of the recalled vehicles are believed to have the problem and Nissan is aware of 13 warranty claims, three technical reports, and two consumer affair cases related to the issue. Thankfully, no injuries or accidents have been reported.

To address the issue, dealers will inspect the front left driveshaft. If it’s not fully seated, technicians will replace both the driveshaft and CVT assembly. This can take over ten hours to complete and owner notifications will go out early next month.

Transmission Issue

The second recall is smaller and impacts 42 transaxle assemblies used in the 2022-2026 Rogue. Many of these were remanufactured units and they may have an internal hardware fault that prevents them from showing what gear the transmission is in. This means they run afoul of federal motor vehicle safety standards.

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Nissan first became aware of the issue in January, when a 2026 Rogue underwent a quality check at their plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. The problem was determined to be an “internal hardware failure within the control valve assembly’s inhibitor switch,” which can “cause an electrical discontinuity with the Automatic Transmission Control Unit.”

The problem means that if a driver shifts into neutral, the control unit might lose the gear signal and cause the engine control module to ‘forget’ the transmission position. This means the position doesn’t show up on the dash and the transmission might get stuck in neutral.

Nissan has identified 48 technical reports and 106 warranty claims related to the issue and dealers will inspect the manufacturing date code on the transmission control valve assembly. If it’s from a bad batch, the assembly will be replaced.

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Reflect10 solar panel geometry increases daily energy production by 20%

Cells capture more sunlight during low-angle hours and cloud conditions

Silicon panel efficiency limits are nearing – this is big news

Canadian startup Reflect10 has introduced a new photovoltaic (PV) module architecture that could significantly boost how much energy solar panels could produce, and it’s nothing to do with the maximum wattage.

Instead, the upgrade embeds a light-reflecting geometry directly into the solar panel to reflect incoming sunlight multiple times, giving photons additional opportunities to hit the PV cells. By enabling additional reflections and angles, it means solar panels can convert even more sunlight into electricity as the sun sets into lower angles.

Though the concept as a whole already existed, it previously required external mirrors or motors, making the installation more expensive. Various studies pointed at energy production improvements of between 11% and 57%.

The same panel, with the same wattage, could produce 20% more capacity

According to the company, it could lead to 20% higher average daily energy production compared with standard solar panels, with low-angle times like early morning and late afternoon generating up to 2.66x more power. The technology also promises to increase efficiency during conditions of diffused light, like cloudy weather.

This upgrade also comes at an important time, because conventional silicon solar cells are quickly approaching their theoretical efficiency ceiling, making it nearly impossible to produce more electricity.

“These results represent a significant and immediate step forward at a time when the industry has faced a fundamental physical ceiling for decades,” founder Louis Massicotte said (via pv magazine ).

According to the company, the global solar industry has grown by an average of +0.18 percentage points of efficiency per year under real field conditions since 1954, marking very slow progress.

Ultimately, Reflect10 boosts panel efficiency not by boosting the cell efficiency itself, but rather by enabling more light to hit the cells. Ultimately, it means that a 500W panel, for example, could produce 500W of electricity more of the time, rather than being restricted to a lesser wattage due to unfavorable conditions, leading to a higher total capacity (measured in kWh).

Proven efficiency-boosting PV tech could tackle current restrictions

Though testing data primarily comes from optical simulations by Canada’s National Optics Institute, the company has also conducted proof-of-concept field trials to prove it works across both Morocco and Canada.

An independent scientific review carried out by the Île-de-France Photovoltaic Institute (IPVF) also notes the technology’s potential to scale and plug gaps in grid shortfalls across a broader range of times – not just during peak sunlight hours.

“By increasing production at the beginning and end of the day, the technology could help better match periods of peak electricity demand while reducing the concentration of generation around the midday solar peak,” IPVF research director Pere Roca i Cabarrocas commented.

The company is now pursuing three international Patent Cooperation Treaty applications ahead of its public presentation in Paris.

Reflect10 itself doesn’t plan to manufacture panels with the new light-reflecting geometry – instead, the Canadian company is offering 50 non-exclusive licenses for its intellectual property to module manufacturers.