Royal Navy aviators are undergoing intensive training in the Norwegian fjords, preparing for HMS Prince of Wales’ flagship deployment to the Pacific Rim later this year, according to a news update.
Personnel from 815 Naval Air Squadron, normally found aboard Royal Navy frigates and destroyers, are currently embarked on the Norwegian frigate Otto Sverdrup, participating in the Anglo-Norwegian exercise Tamber Shield 2025. Their training is a crucial step before they join the HNoMS Roald Amundsen, which will form part of the UK-led carrier strike group.
Before embarking, the Wildcat helicopter team trained at the Royal Norwegian Navy’s safety centre, where they adapted to Norwegian emergency response procedures. Exercises included crash rescue scenarios—simulated with wrecked vehicles—and live fire drills on a burning helicopter hulk, using Norwegian firefighting equipment, which differs from British kit.
Despite the challenge, Royal Navy sailors impressed their hosts with their speed and effectiveness. Air Engineering Technician Connor Miller praised the hands-on experience:
“My favourite part of the course was getting hands-on with the rescue equipment and using it on the cars. It gave me an appreciation of how difficult it is to gain access to a vehicle but also kept me thoroughly entertained throughout.”
The firefighting and flood response training also mirrored methods used in Royal Navy training facilities in Portsmouth and Plymouth, helping British and Norwegian sailors work seamlessly together.
The HNoMS Roald Amundsen will deploy as an escort vessel for HMS Prince of Wales, carrying two Royal Navy Wildcat flights to bolster its capability. As part of Tamber Shield, British and Norwegian forces are conducting missile drills, countering fast attack craft, and honing torpedo defence tactics—critical skills for defending a carrier strike group in contested waters.
The Norwegian Royal Navy’s professionalism and training approach have made a strong impression on the Royal Navy’s aircrews. Air Engineering Technician Matt ‘Godders’ Godfrey highlighted the hospitality and efficiency of the Norwegian forces in the news release:
“The Norwegian attitude to training and service makes them a formidable ally. Their familiarity with our procedures, built over past Tamber Shield exercises, has meant a quick start to proceedings.”
With hindsight QE class ought to have been 3x America class LHDs and we would have retained a credible amphibious capability and have had more and a much better balanced navy.
Have you any idea how large the crew on one of those is?
We would be much better off using the uplift to build some proper cab friendly flat top hybrids.
The question is what tempo is required? Are you looking for a full cab carrier or is MRSS enough? What are the scenarios it would be useful for?
Fair points on the crew and alternative, but you get my drift. I supported the QE build program – brilliant engineering. In many ways it drove the rebuilding of UK warship building and made a tangible contribution to keeping Scotland in the union. Tempos and scenarios are for the SDR – good luck. What with the changes in Nato and the EU that Ukraine and Trump and causing, its sobering that the French proposal of sharing 2 cats and traps carriers lost out to F-35B and T23 Lifex. MRSS will have to be a miracle worker.
“ ts sobering that the French proposal of sharing 2 cats and traps carriers lost out to F-35B”
That was never an option.
UK was always VSTOL and France was always cats and nuclear.
UK was never interesting in using French fighters which would have been the outcome if we’d gone down the common route.
We were only VSTOL at the end after flip flopping at least twice and even then only once Cameron realised the costs of F35C and retro fitting EMALs and lead times involved , after that ‘pre-requsite’ had been forgotten about .
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I think Dr. Alexander Clark talks about having both in his video, but I could be wrong. The video is called “85% is still a First! The Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers…” a good watch.
In hindsight, the QE class should have been a pair of Midway-class size carriers, something in the 60,000 ton range with three catapults that could operate 50-60 aircraft and helicopters. That would allow the RN to have full interoperability with the American and French navies. It also allows for the RN to operate long-range fixed-wing AEW and EW aircraft. Maybe even ASW aircraft when they become available.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing! I am 50:50 over the cats & traps vs STOVL. Admittedly I would prefer CATOBAR as that maximizes the efficiency of the fixed wing aircraft, plus gives you more options over the type of aircraft you could use. The reason for not being fully CATOBAR, is the delays with certifying EMALS. Even today for the USN Ford class, it’s still not certified to launch F35Cs. They have to be steam catapult launched off the older carriers. Which if we had gone down that route would have left us where? Having to either lease F18 or Rafale-M or have a 70,000t heli-carrier, whilst the F35Cs would be entirely land based. So for me the positive is we have a pair of functioning carriers that are capable of being used operationally, albeit with the F35B and the Merlin Crowsnest. Not ideal, but still better than what most others have. Plus there is still the hybrid option of fitting a singular EMALS suited to heavy drones as per the MOD’s RFI.
I took part in Northern Merger a few times. Even the Norwegian Home Guard are amazing people. Anyone wishing to read about Norwegian spirit should read “The Shetland Bus”.
i read that book
Has anyone heard of a report doing the rounds that says the US want in on the GCAP??
Highly doubt it. They have two fighter programmes underway, and they would only join a multinational coalition if they have majority control. Plus, i doubt Japan, Italy or the UK want the US involved. The entire point of the programme was to get away from US influence on defence.
Apparently the Air Force and Navy versions have been put on hold for budgetary reasons. The Air Force have other projects that take priority like the Raider, similar with the Navy that are focusing more along subs. The estimated cost of an airframe of their versions us $300 million. Taking a share of ours would make sense all round. But as you say they’d want to take the lead and sod everyone else.
Given that public and establishment opinion has recently swung back to favouring the NGAD and F/A-XX heavy approach, I expect they’ll be built eventually, and will likely be superior to the GCAP in terms in initial capability.
Still, I agree – GCAP should firmly be kept out of the hands of the US.
Trump admires QEC and has only commented on their price point.
$300m per frame is quite the sticker price.
I read that that Pentagon have proposed an 8% cut each year for 5 years. Apparently they have identified 17 areas they want to focus on. I’m not sure if their 6th gen fighter is on that list but with those cuts somethings got to give.
Part of the reason for cuts to programmes is trying to find the budget for Trumps version of Iron Dome.
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The Wildcats were carrying Sea Venom as well as Martlet, so it’s good to see that the heavy help AShM is once again part of the RN.
Hi SB, it would be nice to see something a bit more beefy than the P2000s, though for the exercise they’re useful. Wonder if they’d do a ship.launched ASHM version of Venom like Sea Brimstone? I guess you saw the Janes post with LRASM on the F35B? Good for the UK?
Any ship launching Sea Venom would have to be uncomfortably close to its target, even if the true range is well in excess of the claimed 20km range. I’d argue that a ship launched version of SPEAR 3 would be more suitable, it would allow ships to maintain a safer distance from any hostile ships.
As for feasibility, cannister launching should be relatively simple, and if my guestimations are correct it would be able to be quad-packed into Mk41. The multi-role warhead in SPEAR 3 is probably much less effective against ships than the one on Sea Venom, but I don’t see why an anti-ship specific warhead couldn’t be developed.
During peacetime there is the compliance to the rules of engagement. Which states that in response to being attacked, you must positively identify them before engaging them. Which means using an anti-ship missile (AShM) that uses traditional active radar guidance for homing is out, especially if the target is beyond the line of sight. However, Sea Venom uses a high definition infrared sensor to acquire and track its target. It also includes a data-link, which feeds the image back to the operator. Thereby allowing the operator to positively id the vessel. A traditional radar guided AShM, will lock on to the largest reflector, unless it has help from a 3rd party. Where they can command it to aim for another target. Sea Venom would be a useful ship launched missile for something corvette of smaller sized, especially operating in the littorals, where’s there’s potentially lots of radar clutter.
Spear-3, uses the same radar as Brimstone. Compared to older lower frequency radars used traditionally on AShM, this produces very high definition “images” of a target. The images that Brimstone generate, are detailed enough to tell the difference between a T72 and T90 for example. For Spear-3, it can be used to tell what type of vessel is being scanned, but also which area of the ship to aim for; e.g the bridge, VLS cells, primary radar etc. Which when attacked, is unlikely to sink the vessel, but could quite easily mission kill the ship, especially if multiple Spear-3s are used.
I am an advocate of developing a marinised Spear-3, that can be vertically launched. It will need an additional rocket booster, as the small turbojet doesn’t have the punch to accelerate the missile from stand still. By adding the rocket booster, reaction jets could also be implemented. Which would mean the Spear-3 could after being soft launched from the VLS, be pointed in the target’s direction. So it could be used against fairly close targets as well as longish distance targets; e.g. against fast attack craft or uncrewed surface craft.
Dimensionally, Spear-3 could be quad packed in a Mk41 or Sylver VLS cell. I believe it would give the Navy a high-low option in conjunction with FCASW. Plus if some of the Spear-3s were the EW version, it would significantly enhance the potential attack capabilities of the standard Spear-3s, not to mention FCASW.
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I’m sorry, you are forgetting that he isn’t a real person but merely a marionette for the PM who wanted to make more cuts and didn’t previously have a compliant man in the defence ministry.
The Norwegian Navy confirmed on 4 March that HNoMS Roald Amundsen will join Maud as part of CSG25, and that her ships flight will be a 815 NAS Wildcat! First time I can recollect a Wildcat embarking for a whole operational deployment on an allied warship. There is has been zero news about the Italian participation in CSG25 announced last July, so it seems safe to assume at this late stage that it won’t amount to the hoped for ship. So we now know that CSG25 will consist of just POW, the two Norwegian ships, Dauntless, Richmond and Tidespring. Maybe an Astute for part of the deployment. No chance of Duncan joining, she’s only half way through a maintenance period, whilst Dragon is still working up and at a guess may well be earmarked for the Black Sea, protecting UK sealift ships loaded with army equipment heading for Odessa.