Strike Warrior is a British-led exercise involving several European nations off the west coast of Scotland. Naval, land and air forces train together for national and alliance defense. The German Navy has sent the corvette “Magdeburg” to the exercise.
Friday, October 11th: The corvette “Magdeburg” is moored alongside the cruise terminal in Northern Ireland’s capital Belfast. A whistle breaks the morning silence. The maneuvers start, the signal to cast off. There is an immediate dynamism – men and women take up their positions, the lines are taken in and the 90-meter-long ship sets off .
Preparation for the maneuver
The first destination of the “Magdeburg” is the city port of Glasgow in Scotland, nine hours away. It will moor there for three days before setting sail again on the morning of October 14. The port stay is primarily to prepare for the next two weeks: Together with forces from other NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization- Partner, the “ Magdeburg” will take part in Strike Warrior, a multinational exercise led by the British Royal Navy off Scotland , from 14 to 25 October .
Lieutenant Commander Meike L. is standing on the bridge of the “Magdeburg”. She is the second operations officer on board and has only been part of the crew for a few days. She vigilantly observes the personnel on the lines. Setting off with a corvette is not the only new experience for her: During Strike Warrior, Meike L. will play a key role in an operational maneuver for the first time. In a realistic scenario, the crew of the corvette will not only practice sailing in a multinational formation, but also naval warfare – in a multidimensional way.
The complexity of the exercise
Not only naval units are taking part in the exercise: Strike Warrior is a cross-service exercise and thus also involves land and air forces. Together, the exercise force is to deal with complex, realistic scenarios – with threats sometimes occurring simultaneously above water, under water and from the air.
More than ten ships from eight nations are taking part in the British-led exercise off the west coast of Scotland. In addition to the “Magdeburg”, a total of five frigates from Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium as well as a Norwegian supply ship are part of the exercise group, Task Group 315.02.
Small but beautiful – the “ Magdeburg”
With its 90 meters long and 13 meters wide, the ” Magdeburg” is the smallest ship in this group – but that doesn’t make it any less important. It is ideally suited for multi-dimensional naval warfare. K130 corvettes are particularly maneuverable, especially thanks to a bow thruster and two adjustable drive propellers. Although they were originally designed for use in coastal areas, they can also operate in marginal seas and on the high seas .
The “ Magdeburg” can also perform a variety of tasks in such areas. It has several high-performance radars for maritime and air surveillance, high-resolution cameras and various sensors that can be used to electronically detect enemy units.
Support from corvettes
The K130 corvettes can also use helicopters to build up an extended situation picture and participate in submarine hunting. They also have several weapon systems on board for self-defense: In addition to the RAMRolling Airframe Missile, the Rolling Airframe Missile for air defence, it can carry four RBS-15 naval guided missiles. The ” Magdeburg ” is therefore not only able to ward off threats from the air, but can also actively engage land and sea targets.
The ship from Rostock also knows how to protect itself from surface units. In addition to its main ballistic weapon, the 76-millimeter on-board gun, it has two light naval guns and several heavy machine guns for close-range defense. It can also lay sea mines – a capability that has come back into focus with the increased importance of national and alliance defense and which only a few ship classes can provide.
The corvette “Magdeburg” in Strike Warrior
At Strike Warrior, the corvette “Magdeburg” can demonstrate its wide operational radius. Together with its unit, it will train almost all aspects of modern naval warfare – from seamanship maneuvers such as supply at sea to dynamic scenarios for protecting other partners or critical infrastructure.
Up on the bridge, Lieutenant Commander Meike L. is looking forward to the coming weeks with determination. She knows that the crew, under the command of Frigate Captain Max Berger, is well prepared for the maneuver and that she can always rely on the men and women of the “Magdeburg.” “We know the strengths and capabilities of our ship very well,” emphasizes Meike L. And it is precisely these strengths and capabilities that must be used optimally in the Strike Warrior exercise.