The British and Norwegian navies have completed a three-week joint military exercise near Bergen to develop tactics against fast, agile threats in narrow waters.
Known as Exercise Tamber Shield, the annual training was conducted under the Joint Expeditionary Force, a coalition led by the UK to support northern European security.
This year's iteration introduced the Royal Navy's 700X drone squadron and electronic warfare experts from the Royal Air Force base at Spadeadam in Cumbria. By using this equipment to simulate infrared and radar-based missile threats, the specialists allowed Wildcat helicopter crews to practice evasive manoeuvres using chaff and flares.
Operating Puma drones from 700X Squadron ahead of the helicopters provided the aircrews with early target detection and threat intelligence. The helicopters, which belong to 815 Naval Air Squadron, operated from the Norwegian naval base at Haakonsvern and the flight deck of the destroyer HMS Duncan as it escorted HMS Prince of Wales.
"Tamber Shield has been extremely beneficial," said Lieutenant Hal Wotton, a Pilot from 815 Naval Air Squadron. Wotton explained,
"It’s allowed us to refine our tactical development, using the challenging environment of the fjords to simulate realistic threat scenarios, including ambushes and counter-fast-patrol-boat engagements."
During the drills, three British fast patrol boats, HMS Archer, HMS Biter, and HMS Example, collaborated with Norwegian Skjold-class corvettes to simulate combat against the air forces.
In addition to simulated combat, crew members who had not previously done so conducted torpedo training by dropping Sting Ray torpedoes into the waters. The bilateral training also featured winching drills on the patrol boats and a joint visit to Bergen, where personnel participated in the city's commemorations marking 82 years since its liberation.
Meanwhile, 815 Naval Air Squadron tested a mesh network at its home base at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset. According to the Royal Navy, this network is designed to share data seamlessly between drones, helicopters, and headquarters to accelerate defensive decision-making.
