Two of the Royal Navy’s smallest vessels, HMS Exploit and HMS Blazer, are set to participate in the annual NATO exercise, Sandy Coast, off the Belgian coast.
This exercise, say the Royal Navy here, is designed to test the alliance’s ability to protect key shipping lanes and vital underwater infrastructure in the North Sea.
Taking place from September 2 to September 20, this year’s exercise focuses on coastal security and the management of underwater devices and explosives in shallow waters near the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
The North Sea is one of the busiest maritime areas in Europe, featuring a mix of commercial traffic and critical undersea infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines, as well as communications cables.
In this year’s exercise, the Royal Navy vessels will assume the role of “bad guys,” attempting to disrupt the operations of NATO’s Mine Countermeasures Group 1, which is led by Germany and includes participants from Lithuania and Canada. This approach allows for a realistic simulation of the challenges that allied forces may face in maintaining security in the region, say the Royal Navy.
Lieutenant Cameron Osborn, the Commanding Officer of HMS Exploit, expressed the significance of the exercise, stating, “This is an exciting opportunity for Exploit and Blazer to take part in Belgium’s largest maritime exercise – as well as a notable step forward for the Coastal Forces Squadron in deploying autonomous minehunting equipment with specialists from the Mine Threat Exploitation Group embarked.”
The exercise is also a continuation of the Royal Navy’s shift towards incorporating technology in mine warfare, moving away from traditional methods. Earlier this year, the P2000 class vessels participated in exercises in the Baltic and Arctic, where they worked alongside NATO allies and Fleet Air Arm’s Wildcat helicopters to develop tactics for countering fast attack craft.
Following the completion of Sandy Coast, HMS Exploit and HMS Blazer will return to the UK and represent the Royal Navy at the Southampton Boat Show.
I am finding this P2000 resurgence very interesting. The RN does definitely need to look as dealing with small craft. But I wonder if the RN was better equipped in terms of major surface combatants and submarines plus supporting systems would this work with P2000 be being undertaken? I wonder if we will see them replaced with two classes. or a single class that can be upgunned? Probably be the latter even if not the best solution.
With its roles are they looking at options of putting a RWS (Thales/Kraken/Aselan) on these P2000s? Even with Martlet? I’ve seen them with the 20mm but isn’t this getting taken out of service but still on the B1 Rivers?
The 20mm is supposed to still be in service on some RFA vessels as well, most notably RFA Argus who currently is in East Asia and has both of hers missing despite having had a weapons upgrade. As far as I can tell just the B1 Rivers have them remaining.
The P2000s were designed to take the GAM BO1 mounting and have a ‘gunroom’ for 20mm ammunition on board. None have ever been fitted with them and all of the ‘gunrooms’ have been used for additional bunks or storage space. The vessels do occasionally get sighted with a large ballistic gun shield and LMG on the forecastle when filling roles such as the Faslane patrol, they also can mount an LMG either side of the flying bridge however this is rarely ever seen. Being honest 90% of what these vessels do doesn’t require armament and the other 10% of the time an LMG or .50cal is perfectly adequate, there’s no point overcomplicating it – the old 20mm isn’t even that ballistically superior to a .50 anyway, especially with the new stabilized mountings.
I would speculate we’ll see a new class of small coastal force ships before it’s ever considered to up gun these. The RN has recently started bringing lots of the P2000s directly back under their control from the university programs and using them for simulated fast attack training, USV operations and even trialed a small in land mine countermeasures kit on a pair of them. What ever replaces them will probably come in larger numbers than this class did, due to the new emphasis on and reactivation of the coastal forces squadron & the fact it’s a cheap way to make the RN look bigger, and will likely have much more versatility – maybe in the form of a small modular deck area that could support USVs, UUVs, sonobuoys or jet skis as have been seen on similar vessels.
20mm GAMBO1 will be out of service by 2025 – or earlier.
**The Role and Flexibility of P2000 Patrol Boats: A Personal Perspective**
Having had the privilege of serving as the Executive Officer (XO) on one of the P2000-class patrol boats, I can speak firsthand to the unique capabilities and challenges these vessels face. During my tenure, I operated extensively across Northern Europe and the Baltics, reaching as far south as Gibraltar. The squadron has undertaken a variety of roles, including constabulary duties in support of Ministry of Defence (MOD) maritime units, border operations, search and rescue (SAR), acting as opposing forces (OPFOR) during exercises, and even “flying the flag” at boat shows and public events.
While there have been discussions about weaponising these platforms, such modifications would inevitably limit their flexibility. The P2000s have certain inherent limitations, particularly in terms of range due to fuel and freshwater capacity. Moreover, the ability to use civilian marinas and public ports could be significantly restricted by the presence of ammunition and armaments.
Additionally, the storage of ammunition on these vessels presents another challenge. Given the hull construction of the P2000s, any ammunition lockers would not be particularly secure and could potentially be removed with relative ease by someone determined enough.
Ultimately, it is the personnel on board, equipped with the skills and expertise to perform a diverse range of roles, that provide the P2000s with their flexibility, appeal, and impact. The adaptability of the crew, rather than the potential addition of weaponry, is what truly defines the value of these versatile platforms.
We should be planning to replace the P2000 boats within 10 years with something slightly beefier. The Nordics have this sorted and we should do likewise maybe something like HMS Magpie or The Cutlass Class but for North Sea work I think 20m is too small for anything more than ‘Police’ work. I’d go to 30m when with a stern ramp they could maybe on occasion carry the small unmanned mine hunters which probably weigh in at 3000 kg or easily carry other RIB sea boats.
I’d be interested to know what the Navy thinks of using these beyond Training and reconnaissance but for mine warfare and as drone carriers. In days gone by we had many such light craft and a resurgence as witnessed in the Ukraine War has shown they definitely have their uses.
Staying on station means staying out in all weathers for up to 14 days in my book.
With a huge UK home base coastline and overseas Territories like The Falklands, Diego Garcia etc, etc and the money we waste generally, we should be able to afford boats of this class.
I’d like to know what people with experience think about where next with coastal forces.