Last month, 4,000 servicemen and servicewomen from 13 nations converged on the MOD Hebrides Range in Scotland to partake in a crucial NATO exercise, code-named FORMIDABLE SHIELD.
The multinational training exercise aimed at testing the ballistic missile defence capabilities of NATO and its partner nations.
The event, held between May 8-26, 2023, underscored the importance of integrated military action across NATO nations. Participants made use of a variety of platforms, including the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 Lightning 2, gaining proficiency in air, land, and maritime defence tactics.
“The importance of our responsibility for integration across Defence and with our allies was evident on Exercise FORMIDABLE SHIELD,” said Major General Robin Anderton-Brown, Director of Capability at Strategic Command. He stressed the criticality of sharing and fusing data across nations to counteract high-speed missile threats.
Over 20 ships, 35 aircraft, and eight ground units took part in the biennial exercise, showcasing the collective defence capacity of NATO nations. Among the participants was the US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
Graham Ball, Deputy Director of Integration at Strategic Command, emphasized the significance of integration, stating: “FORMIDABLE SHIELD demonstrates the value and necessity of working with our allies to drive integration – meaning that we, and our partners, can act in a way that is greater than the sum of our collective parts.”
HMS Defender exemplified this spirit of collaboration, teaming up with an RAF Typhoon and HMS Kent to intercept an incoming missile via a jointly-developed air defence system involving the UK, France, and Italy.
FORMIDABLE SHIELD was hailed as the premier Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and live fire rehearsal in the European theatre by Rear Admiral James Morley, Deputy Commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO). He lauded the exercise’s role in strengthening combined operations between allied maritime and air forces.
As an outcome of the exercise, Strategic Command has committed to fostering a culture of integration within the military and beyond.
Off topic but just been reading this.. anyone on here surprised by this???https://defence-blog.com/germany-refuses-taurus-missiles-deliveries-to-ukraine/
It’s probably because the Russian jamming is proving so effective if recent U.K. media reports are to be believed on U.K. column news . They highlighted a military TV report on this very problem.
it would be nice if the MSM actually discussed these issues instead of the blatant propaganda so we could actually get the truth but then truth and the msm don’t really mix these days.
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Can u even jam storm shadow or taurus. The can use other means than GPS to get to target.
Up to a point, as you can jam the GPS. The GPS is used to constantly update the missile’s inertial navigation system. Even though it uses solid state rather than mechanical gyros. Over time their navigation plot will drift. Without the GPS updating this plot, the positional error will get bigger. Thereby possibly making the missile miss the programmed lat/long of the target.
However, Storm Shadow also uses a terrain reference system. That measures what the topography of the landscape is as it flies over it. This is checked against a stored map. Then used to alter the missile’s track towards the target.
Finally, the missile uses an imaging infrared seeker to find the target, that is then compared with stored images of the target. The missile can hunt for the target if it doesn’t see what it was expecting.
So yes having a jammed GPS can make the missile’s life harder. But it has a few tricks up it’s sleeve, to mitigate the problem.
No idea as don’t know what capabilities the Russians are capable of ?. I seriously hope they at storm shadow is immune to this jiggery pokery
alas in this post truth era truth is difficult to come by…
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The bit that surprises me is that Germany even considered it in the 1st place. The Taurus would give Ukraine the capacity to hit deep into Russia possibly Moscow and so far everyone has resisted against giving them that capability.
If you do the geography that range is overkill for hitting military ground targets in occupied Ukraine or Crimea, they don’t need it.
I dare say they would have put some conditions as to its use but.
“Inter arma enim silent leges”
And the reaction of Russia to a German made missile killing Russian civilians ! Well that doesn’t bear thinking about.
Surely they can be programmed as our storm shadow is not to allow max range?
Surely if our Storm Shadow programming can be altered. It can also be returned to normal by tweaking the programme back again.
The main objective here must be to prevent this war turning into WWIII. Therefore denying them that capability is the right thing to do. The Ukrainian forces are simply not under full government control. There are too many rogue factions with mixed loyalties in play.
I’m shocked the Germans have not stop all support for Ukraine because their Nord pipelines are destroyed. The german economy is now crashing due to the high cost of energy. Only fools close all their nuclear power stations to then depend on Russian gas.
hold on then surely you are against UK giving Storm Shadow as I beleive it has a longer range than the Taurus missle. As far as I know Ukraine has promised to not hit moscow or civillian infrastructure
Yes I am against that too. Promises from a corrupt government with rogue factions in it’s military mean less than nothing. Some of those factions being very dubious indeed.
As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter. If Russia use long range cruise missles in Ukrainian cities then Ukraine has the right to return the favour.
To quote bomber Harris “they sowed the wind, now they will reap the whirl wind.
That is a very dangerous way of thinking Andy a. Would you apply the same logic to Putin responding to direct attacks on Russian cities with WMDs, by giving Ukraine nukes and CW munitions?
The Russians have an abundance of “tactical” nuclear weapons at their disposal under direct control of the hard-line FSB (KGB). In addition to an alleged large stock of chemical weapons controlled directly by the same bunch. Not forgetting anything being supplied by their counterparts in the CCP PLA science wing.
Please, for the sake of my grandchildren let’s not go there.
Andy, do you have a stake in the future too.
You’re talking about appeasing a dictator that is right up there with hitler. So Russia can use long range cruise missles and kill civilians at wish but Ukraine can’t? Sorry no what ever force Russia uses Ukraine can return.
The weapons Putin has are the same Russia had in soviet days, by your thinking thatcher and reagon wouldn’t have faced down the evil empire because of their ICBMs, Churchill wouldn’t have fought hitler due to the V1 and 2.
Sorry evil must be fought always. Appeasement leads to the likes of hitler and Stalin.
I will never agree to the “living on your knees is better than dying on your feet.”
I’m not suggesting we appease Putin, not at all. Please read my other posts on this and various other related subjects because we are talking on cross purposes Andy. But I will try to address each of your points in turn.
In this case Ukraine is countering “Russian force” with superior weapons supplied by NATO. Not even bought and paid for before hostilities started. Just gifted to kill Russians. Attacking deep inside Russia only increases popular support for Putin. Do you see the difference. BTW Ukrainians have their own soviet era weapons and production facilities with which to fight their former close comrades and allies.
Current Russian weapons are based on the old soviet era kit. With some notable improvements and new components. Ukraine has them too. Did you know when part of the USSR, Ukraine was home to one of the largest tank manufacturing plants in the world. The Malyshev Factory in Kharkov. Political corruption is the only reason Ukraine has not utilised it fully post USSR collapse. Similarly, Ukraine is home to the huge Antonov aero industrial giant. Again, crippled by post USSR corruption and state failures.
The events and methods used to bring the collapse of the USSR by the likes of Pres. Reagan and Lady Thatcher, may the gods bless them both. Have not been fully disclosed nor should they be. The free world still needs to defeat the evil CCP! If you don’t think they are evil, I can help you catch up.
GB and others appeased Hitler because the wounds and horrors of WWI were still fresh. With hindsight we like to criticise them but should we. None of us have experienced the industrialised killing of trench warfare on that scale, followed by a very real and horrendous flu pandemic that killed millions! My outlook was changed by experiences in the first Gulf War, which by comparison was nothing.
Up to 2013 I agree with the corruption in Ukraine. But Ukrainians said enough we don’t want this kind of corrupt Russian leaning government anymore.
Since then Ukraine and it’s government have taken steps to address the faults in the country. I’m not saying they have fixed everything but they were trying.
One of the main reasons Russia invaded was to put there chosen leader back into power.
If Ukrainians wanted that they would of voted for it.
The easiest solution is Russian troops go back to Russia. War stops immediately
Andy, I’ve just found out that Zelensky is being investigated for corruption too. Maybe they are serious about reversing the effects of communism.
The deputy of the Verkhovna Rada accuses Volodymyr Zelensky of high treason. The Kyiv District Court has already ordered law enforcement agencies to conduct a pre-trial investigation.
1 Mikhail Gorbachev when asked about the broken promise said Putin was lying, there was no promise and even if there was how would a man driving taxis know. As the previous leader of Russia I think mikhail would know.
2 I don’t give a damn if the Ukrainians use high tech weapons to wipe out Russian forces, war is not a game of playing fair, the only fair fight is the one you lose, ask any SF soldier you go into a fight with total dominance.
Did putin worry about the fairness of his planes and tanks being far more upgraded and out numbering Ukrainian forces? Did he work about hitting civilians?
Now you are saying ukraine should fight by a set of rules putin doesn’t play by merely because you’re scared of threats. Sounds very like refusing to fight Hitler in the 1930’s.
Every weapon and tactic putin uses will be used back on him. He started it, he invaded a separate nation that was no military threat to him, now he cries cos he can’t beat them.
Tough.
He attacked this country and our people with chemical/ radiological materials so he has it coming for that. You like him so much go live there and experience life under him, you will change your tune fast
The next thing is you will be trotting out putins lies about nato breaking an aggrement about recruitment of nato members eastward. Let me just prempt that by mentioning the president of Russia has called Putin out as lying about that, not that he would know as Putin drove taxis at the time
Not as dubious as the massed raping, child abducting, civilian butchering Russian orc gang and piss poor excuse for an armed forces. Wagner group anyone? I mean those lot are saints George obviously.
In my experience, both sides in this conflict are as bad as each other. (Data from the entire Cold War era and WWII.) They are now corrupt reforming communists with some very shady characters fighting on both sides. Wagner, Azov etc. Lets focus on the barbaric islamic Chechens because they are there on both sides..
Both sides have groups of delusional mujahideen muslims, waging what they believe to be jihad. Surely I don’t need to explain to a member of this community what they get up to. (See the Sheikh Mansur Battalion and Chechen atrocities in Mariupol.) Our media only report the wrongdoing of the mujahideen on the Russian side. Turning a blind eye to the equally barbaric Chechens fighting for Ukraine, whenever possible. Truth is indeed the first victim of war. But if you cast a wide enough net to India, reports can still be found with photographs. Patrick Lancaster covers them too.
Germany’s energy costs are no higher than every other country.
If preventing ww3 involves letting Russia do whatever it likes then bring on WW3.
We tried appeasement before. It doesn’t work.
Sadly that is not true. https://www.energyprices.eu/
Germany shot itself in the foot. They were far too eager to abandon nuclear power and fossil fuels at the same time. There is no way renewable sources could have replaced them. The technology is not good enough. Who in their right minds willingly becomes dependant on Putin for energy?
Hmmm. Maybe a country that was half communist.
All the west tried with Russia to solve the former communist comrade infighting, was misinformation and subterfuge. Better known as the Minsk accords. I must admit, it was in keeping with the mentality of both Russia and Ukraine. However, it was not appeasement and we are far from squeaky clean in this one.
Do you agree or not.
Are you getting mixed up with the Orc infighting? Just who is going to side with Russia in WW3🙄?
The Original Recovering Communists. “The Soviet Union was formed in 1922 by a treaty between the Soviet republics of Byelorussia, Russian Federation, Transcaucasian Federation, and Ukraine, by which they became its constituent republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.” – wiki.
Who will side with them other than Communist China, Iran and the current members of the Russian fed?
The big question is who would sit on the side-lines and NOT support Ukraine, US, UK and Poland etc.
Answer would include members of BRICS; the CCP belt and road initiative; some members of the current NATO club starting with Turkey.
Taking a working holiday in New Zealand is probably the smart thing to do right now.
The range of Taurus isn’t further than storm shadow and it also has an export version with less range.
“ HMS Defender exemplified this spirit of collaboration, teaming up with an RAF Typhoon and HMS Kent to intercept an incoming missile via a jointly-developed air defence system involving the UK, France, and Italy.”
An interesting statement – is the linking a joint development?
Or, is is that Horizon program that this refers to?
I think it just means the Aster. They are pushing a bit in jointly developed,
I wonder if this exercise was planned before Ukraine? There appears to be an increase in surface activities in preparation for possible hostile Russian naval activity. Obviously, land targets inside Russia would quickly be taken out if a conflict were to break out but the Russian surface fleets and submarines would be more challenging. The greater the training and exercises NATO conducts the more effective these combined efforts will be if called into action.
Formidable Shield is a bi-annual NATO exercise. First run in 2017, its scope has been changing by taking into account the latest threat developments. The threats the ships face get more and more complicated and realistic. The previous exercise had quite a few swarming attacks to deal with. Where the swarms were timed to coincide with ballistic and supersonic sea skimming threats.
This year it has seen the ships being networked with ground based air defences, notably the NASAMs. But also a HIMARS has been used in the exercise. Which takes into account of lessons being explored/learned from the Ukraine War. Especially as it was reported that Russian air defence radars had problems detecting and tracking MzLRS/HIMARS rockets. It will be a while before more details of the types of exercises become public.