HMS Kent, the Type 23 Frigate, has assumed a vital role protecting the French carrier strike group’s mission in the Middle East.
Ushering in a new era of British and French military cooperation, HMS Kent has taken up the role of anti submarine warfare commander for the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, making her responsible for protecting the carrier group from underwater threats.
Kent will also provide general maritime security using her Lynx helicopter as the “eyes” and her advanced radar systems as her “ears”.
Having joined the group she has already taken part in White Shark – a three-day exercise with the Saudi Naval and Air Forces – where the threats came from below, on and above the waves.
Before joining the French, HMS Kent also worked with the US Navy’s USS Carl Vinson.
The Portsmouth based frigate was waiting in the Red Sea as the Charles de Gaulle group sailed through Suez from the Mediterranean.
The link-up between the two navies is the latest in a series of exercises and joint deployments since the turn of the decade with the goal of creating an Anglo-French expeditionary force next year.
Image: Royal Navy