The US and British navies practiced the destruction of a large warship
In the North Atlantic, the naval exercises of the US and British navies Atlantic Thunder were held to practice strikes against a large warship. As a target, it was decided to choose the decommissioned and specially prepared for the exercises class frigate Oliver Hazard Perry of the US Navy USS Boone.
According to the Western press, the British navy and air force demonstrated "impressive firepower" in striking the old frigate. HMS Westminster, a Wildcat helicopter and three Typhoon jets were involved in the strikes.
The exercise was the first of its kind in 18 years for the Royal fleet Great Britain. Military experts argue that it is rare to experience complex modern weapon against a realistic target that is far out to sea. The British and US Navy and Air Force were able to test the ability to hit such targets, as well as gain experience in hitting naval targets from a long distance.
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Westminster fired two Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Simultaneously with these volleys, an American P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft attacked the training target. Also, Martlet-class missiles hit the ship with a Wildcat-class helicopter. Interestingly, this was the first strike on a surface target of this level by missiles of this class.
The helicopter then remained in the air and used its capabilities to direct a Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft to the target. The fighter attacked the frigate with Paveway IV guided bombs.
As the commander of HMS Westminster, Commander Ed Moss-Ward, noted at the end of the exercise, the maneuvers demonstrated the ability of the American and British naval and air forces to work together and hit sea targets at a considerable distance. An important task was also to test the integration of high-tech weapons of the allies in the North Atlantic Alliance.
The pilot of the 815th Naval Squadron Wildcat helicopter, Lieutenant Ross Gallagher, also noted that the exercises made it possible to test the capabilities of the Martlet missile system and targeting for the Typhoon fighter in practice.
In addition to the British ship, helicopter and aircraft, the US Navy also attacked the frigate. So, the SM-6 multi-purpose missile was launched from the destroyer USS Arleigh Burke. The US Air Force deployed F-15E Eagles.
The result of the exercise was the sinking of the frigate. The sunken ship will forever remain the property of the US government, writes Naval News. Anticipating questions from the European environmental community, the military argues that the sinking of the frigate is allegedly safe for the environment. The sinking of a warship is “safe” for marine flora and fauna, and the Russian gas pipeline “SP-2” in the waters of the Baltic is “unsafe” - such “logic” ...
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