The exercise involves ships, submarines, aircraft, and personnel from nine Allied nations in the Central Mediterranean Sea for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare training.
Dynamic Manta (DYMA23) commenced on February 27 off the coast of Sicily.
The primary objective of Dynamic Manta is to provide all participants with comprehensive and challenging warfare training to improve interoperability and proficiency in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare skills.
Each participating unit will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of submarine warfare operations, where submarines will take turns hunting and being hunted, closely coordinating their efforts with the air and surface participants.
The exercise comprises submarines from Greece, Italy, Turkey, and the United States navies, along with surface ships from Canada, Greece, Italy, Spain, Türkiye, and the U.S., including the ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2.
In addition, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States are providing air assets, including maritime patrol aircraft.
As the host nation, Italy is extending support in Catania and Augusta Harbors, the naval helicopter base in Catania, Naval Air Station Sigonella and Trapani, as well as from Augusta Naval Base.
Dynamic Manta is one of nearly a dozen MARCOM-led maritime exercises conducted each year, in addition to numerous national exercises, to enhance readiness in defence of the Alliance.
Its sister exercise, Dynamic Mongoose, is held in the cold waters of the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap.
I wonder which mad autocrat this is to send a message to?
Can’t they just use WhatsApp?
No, that is only suitable for unminuted governmental decision making.
😅
O/T medium helicopter news reported in several publications.
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/airbus-teams-boeing-uk-h175m-proposal
So hell has finally frozen over.
MOD rotary-wing guys do love Boeing!
Although this looks surprisingly like the Flying Bedstead given a refresh!
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/uae-invests-vtol-industry
Where did it all go wrong?
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/02/the-fairey-rotodyne-the-vertical-take-off-and-landing-airliner-time-forgot/
Poland seems to be taking the bull by the horns at the moment.
“while Sikorsky is offering Polish-made S-70M Black Hawks but with cooperation with UK-based companies involved in manufacturing, training and through-life support of the aircraft.”
Nice now Boeing supports an helicopter made with Chinese. Actually was first build by China in a joint venture with Eurocopter named Avicopter AC352 also Harbin Z-15.
Shrewd move by Airbus. I think the MOD worships Boeing …the P8 being the saviour of the Nimrod fiasco.
So we’re only providing Aircraft? Wonder if our P-8As will get a warm-weather trip for a change!
P-8’s have been flying in Med few times
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/03/06/ireland-interested-in-joining-nato-undersea-security-cell-alliance-figure-says/
Our hard left will go nuts, but even without that I don’t see it going very far sadly.
If something happens the Irish economy would be at huge risk.
Then there would be no funding for anything that the ‘left’ complain about which is health and housing. The Irish state can fully fund and afford all of this in tandem with defence funding. I hear this argument in other states all the time and it gets old. Funding social programs and defence are not mutually exclusive.
Well its more anything “NATO” related is an automatic trigger for most of them, and they really don’t care about risks to the cables “sure we are neutral” is their excuse for everything under the sun to explain why there shouldn’t be investment.
Most likely this is at most might be a staff officer assigned to this, it’s not likely to mean any fundamental changes in policies/positions.
Kind of the issue with sticking all the servers in a neutral tax haven. I’m sure if google and Facebook want it Ireland will join NATO in a second even if Bono disagrees. But seriously the Russians can cut these cables going to Ireland and there. is not much we can do.
Often wonder, what we would do if we caught them in the act? Definitely falls outside the normal peacetime rules of engagement.
SFA if it was an Irish cable, probably try and force to surface if it was a Uk cable.
Only £5bn of the £11bn defence spending increase Ben Wallace asked for just to keep pace with inflation to be given by Sunak & Hunt. Expectation management or abdication of duty on defence?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11825319/Rishi-Sunak-announce-5bn-boost-UK-defence-trip-US.html
Apparently Australia is going with Astute. Interesting sub brief who is a US submariner thinks Astute is better than Virginia.
https://youtu.be/6Vl9KBZLOnA
£4 or 5 billion over 2 years is half inflation. ****ing Tory’s are holding back and will try knocking a penny off of income tax next year thinking it will win them an election.
Can you trust an article that misnames the US President?
😂