A state-of-the-art Royal Navy warship has put on a spectacular show of firepower – blowing swarms of drones out of the sky in a dramatic live-fire exercise off the coast of Wales.
HMS Dauntless, one of Britain’s most advanced Type 45 destroyers, unleashed a blistering barrage of missiles and gunfire as she faced a relentless onslaught of aerial and surface threats, mirroring the kind of drone attacks wreaking havoc in the Red Sea.
The high-octane trial – codenamed Exercise Sharpshooter – marked the final test before Dauntless joins the UK’s Carrier Strike Group for a major Indo-Pacific deployment later this year.
In an unprecedented display, the warship became the first of her class to repel hundreds of Banshee, Hammerhead and virtual drone attacks in a scenario crafted to replicate real-world combat conditions.
The firepower on display was formidable. Dauntless used her Phalanx Automated Gun, 4.5-inch main gun, 30mm cannons, and even a Wildcat helicopter armed with Martlet missiles – capable of knocking out targets up to 6km away.
The training, run by the Royal Navy’s Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST) and defence giant QinetiQ, was designed to test the crew’s readiness with both live and simulated threats – even continuing overnight.
The sheer realism of the exercise gave the crew a taste of what sister ship HMS Diamond endured during her recent Red Sea deployment – including the Royal Navy’s first successful shootdown of a ballistic missile using the cutting-edge Sea Viper system.
Commander Ben Dorrington, Dauntless’ commanding officer, said the drill pushed the crew to the limit:
“The realism of the exercise and training delivered provided a unique opportunity for the ship’s company to demonstrate they are ready to defend, ready to fight and ready to win.
“As we reach the pinnacle of our comprehensive training package with the conclusion of Exercise Sharpshooter, we look forward to some well-deserved Easter leave before deploying as part of the Carrier Strike Group in the Spring.”
The exercise also featured static targets placed at sea, fitted with tech to help QinetiQ assess the effectiveness of every weapon fired – data that’s vital as the UK sharpens its battlefield edge in an increasingly unstable world.
More than 350 personnel took part in the operation, combining forces from the Royal Navy and industry in what was hailed as “bespoke training”.
Will Blamey, Chief Executive of UK Defence at QinetiQ, said:
“QinetiQ is proud to deliver realistic threat scenarios that support the UK military’s operational readiness ahead of the Carrier Strike Group deployment.”
The upcoming deployment to the Indo-Pacific, a region critical to British trade and diplomacy, will underline Britain’s enduring commitment to peace, security and influence on the global stage.
Photos licenced under the MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
