Royal Navy warships alongside NATO allies have shown the alliance’s staunch commitment to Baltic security during the largest military exercises in the region this year. Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender provided the firepower and leading-edge technology, while six of the smallest craft in the Royal Navy’s inventory – Archer, Charger, Explorer, Exploit, Ranger and Smiter – provided the speed,…
Read MoreTag: HMS Defender
HMS Defender Leads the Way in the Baltic
A Royal Navy warship is leading a US Navy task force during the largest joint military exercises in the Baltic this year. HMS Defender is serving as the flagship of Task Force Six Four (CTF 64) of the US Sixth Fleet, which deals in defending against attacks by missiles and fighter jets. The Type 45 destroyer has powerful, cutting-edge sensors…
Read MoreSeven Royal Navy Vessels in Baltic for 10 Day Exercise
Seven Royal Navy vessels are geared up for the largest naval workout in the Baltic this year. Destroyer HMS Defender provides the firepower and leading-edge technology, while six of the smallest craft in the Royal Navy’s inventory – Archer, Charger, Explorer, Exploit, Ranger and Smiter – provide the speed, agility and numbers to swarm around participants in Baltops 22. Celebrating…
Read MoreHMS Diamond and Defender Complete Mammoth Mission
There was double delight for destroyers Defender and Diamond as the warships received a warm welcome from families after a landmark deployment. The two ships sailed into Portsmouth Naval Base 60 minutes apart – and a few hours ahead of the nation’s flagship, aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which they accompanied for most of the past seven months. The duo…
Read MoreMultinational Gunfire Support Training in the Marianas
August 25, 2021 – A massive CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter touches down on Farallon de Medinilla: a windswept, uninhabited tropical island in the middle of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) pour out of the helicopter’s tail, 53 strong, including a 10-Marine Tactical Air Control Platoon (TACP). Beneath the verge on…
Read MoreUSS America Replenishes HMS Defender in Philippine Sea
USS America (LHA 6), the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, conducted a bilateral fueling-at-sea (FAS) with Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender (D 36) while operating with elements of the HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) Carrier Strike Group (CSG-21) in the Philippine Sea, August 20th. This is the first time in history a U.S. amphibious ship has conducted a FAS with…
Read MoreQueen Elizabeth CSG Practices Shore Bombardment
August 20, 2021 – F-35 stealth jets and warships of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group unleashed their firepower during high-octane live firing exercises with US allies as the Indo-Pacific leg of their global deployment ramps up another notch. HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Kent, HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen of the CSG – which is currently on a seven-month deployment to…
Read MoreUK Carrier Strike Group Visits Guam
The United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), pulled into Apra Harbor in the midst of the CSG21 deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, August 6th. The deployment is the U.K.’s first by a carrier strike group in the Indo-Pacific for almost 25 years and marks a historic achievement in the bilateral partnership between…
Read MoreRoyal Navy task group sails with three navies near Strait of Malacca
August 5, 2021 – The next phase of a busy program at sea has begun for the UK’s Carrier Strike Group. The task group led by Portsmouth-based carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has passed through the Strait of Malacca (between Malaysia and northern Indonesia), rendezvousing with a number of navies along the way. Over the course of a few days, ships…
Read MoreHMS Defender Heads into Black Sea
June 10, 2021 – HMS Defender has completed NATO security operations in the Mediterranean and will be heading to the Black Sea after a stop in Istanbul. The Type 45 destroyer is part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group but has peeled away from the task group temporarily to carry out her own set of missions in the Black Sea.…
Read More