Seven Royal Navy warships have joined the Baltic Sea’s largest naval training this year, BALTOPS 22.
The destroyer HMS Defender will provide the firepower, while six of the smaller ships in the Royal Navy’s inventory – Archer, Charger, Explorer, Exploit, Ranger and Smiter – will provide the speed and agility needed to overrun participants. by BALTOPS 22.
This year, 16 countries are to take part in the ten-day exercise, involving more than 45 ships, 75 aircraft and 7,000 military personnel. The exercise is hosted by Sweden, which is celebrating the navy’s 500th anniversary.
To demonstrate their swarm credentials, the Coastal Forces Squadron’s P2000 boats subjected the Defender as well as Lithuanian, Latvian and Norwegian vessels, all Joint Expeditionary Force partner nations, to concerted “attacks”.
Similar swarm attacks will be the “group thing” for Coast Forces ships when the BALTOPS transitions to the dynamic phase.
“This deployment marks the end of months of planning, allowing us to deploy and engage with multiple navies,” said the lieutenant Martin Headin command of HMS Exploit.
This year marks the 51st time the exercise, which began in 1972, has been conducted. Participating countries are Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
