The exercise, running from May 15th to June 3rd, 2021, provides the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to conduct land and sea based defence against simultaneous cruise and ballistic missile threats with coordinated command and control.
“At-Sea-Demo/Formidable Shield allows Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) headquarters command and control of a multinational force to provide capable, credible deterrence against aggression,” said Royal Marines Col. Andrew Lock, Assistant Chief of Staff Operations at STRIKFORNATO, in a NATO news release.
“These types of exercises demonstrate our technical and tactical capabilities to defend the Alliance.”
This year, as the command and control node for NATO forces, STRIKFORNATO say it is conducting the exercise between the ten participating nations as they work together to respond to integrated air and missile defense threats.
Serving as the critical link to integrate the complex sea, land, air, and space systems from multiple nations into a task force, the staff say they are focused on strengthening their ability to share common tactical pictures, share situational awareness, and conduct NATO-level mission planning and engagement coordination.
“Several live-fire and simulated engagements against subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets demonstrations will take place during the exercise, including the first defensive live-intercept of a ballistic missile using multinational data systems to track the target,” said U.S Navy Cmdr. Brett Lefever, Deputy Integrated Missile Defense branch at STRIKFORNATO.
“The multinational cooperation for a ballistic missile intercept in outer space is truly remarkable and proves the Alliance’s commitment to interoperability and defense.”
I appreciate build rate constraints, long lead times and all the rest of it, but I do wonder if exercises such as this will eventually drive an uplift in AAW destroyer numbers. The high ups obviously think this is an important capability to have and in the future I can see the potential for several RN ships being dedicated to this role (if the UK wants to have serious anti BM capabilities).
Is it possible for t45 to be as good as they say if it can’t use co operative engagement! Ie take control of carriers air defence and direct all other ships to ensure not all shooting at same targets!
Yes – i think Gunbuster has said previously even without CEC, Data can still be transferred via Link 16/22.
Right so they can share there info with fleet but not take control! Doesn’t matter then in that situation everyone gunna be shooting anyway! Suppose it cuts down on wasted missles mind targeting same thing
Take control of what? Viper is a data linked active radar homer as is ceptor CEC as the USN is using it lets you see the extended battle space in a fused data picture ( Its a Link picture in effect) and lets other units take control of fired missiles. The USN has lots and lots of Standard 2 semi active homers that need an illuminating radar to light up the target for the missile. This is what they can now do with a different ship. No RN vessels use semi active homing anymore…(its so last decade!) so we don’t… Read more »
So our tech is more advanced. One advantage they would have I assume is in a mass attack they in the split second could ensure no wasted missles. We could I assume end up with ships firing at same targets?