The Dutch Navy has successfully completed a live-firing exercise off the UK coast, facing simulated swarm attacks, as part of training to tackle real-life threats.
It was the first time that a NATO ally has taken part in Exercise Sharpshooter, which is run by QinetiQ and delivers both live and synthetic training scenarios.
Over three days at MOD Aberporth, the Dutch ship HNLMS Evertsen, located 20 miles off the Welsh coast, was targeted by simulated drone attacks. QinetiQ’s aerial drone target, the Banshee Whirlwind, and the company’s uncrewed surface vehicle, Hammerhead, were used as well as virtual drone attacks.
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Download free sample pages More informationHNLMS Evertsen successfully completed its objectives, tracking and neutralising five aerial threats, also hitting and sinking two Hammerhead unmanned surface vehicles.
The threat scenario, designed by QinetiQ-owned Inzpire, required the defence of critical assets in contested waters. Tactical specialists integrated live targets with synthetic threats to represent cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as enemy aircraft, fully testing operating procedures from initial detection to neutralisation.
Commander Marcel Keveling, Royal Netherlands Navy, said: “HNLMS Evertsen and the Royal Netherlands Navy are grateful to have trained on such an immersive level. To be able to fire at live targets and keep our crew in a higher state of readiness for multiple days has taught us many lessons we aim to take with us when sailing on an operational level. Especially in the ever-changing world of today we find it important to train as realistically as possible, this exercise was a prime example of that.”
Will Blamey Chief Executive, UK Defence, QinetiQ, said: “With interoperability between nations more important than ever, these exercises give the UK and its allies the opportunity to train alongside each other, sharing tactics and learnings to improve readiness. By blending live and synthetic training with advanced capabilities, we help allied forces stay battle-ready and make confident decisions in a fast-changing threat environment.”
QinetiQ is a key provider of test and training for the UK armed forces. Through the Long-Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA), the company operates 16 sites across the UK, delivering exercises across land, sea and air.
Earlier this year, the Royal Navy’s HMS Dauntless neutralised drone swarms during another QinetiQ-run Sharpshooter exercise as part of preparation ahead of deploying as part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group. In May, QinetiQ delivered live and virtual operational training for the Royal Navy and NATO partners during Exercise Med Strike in the Mediterranean. At the same time, the company also supported Formidable Shield off the coast of Scotland which involved 11 allied nations across land, sea, and air countering threats from drone swarms to ballistic and supersonic missiles.
