The Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless successfully shot down swarms of drones in a live-fire exercise off the Welsh coast, demonstrating its weaponry, radars, and sensors. The exercise, known as Sharpshooter, marked the destroyer’s final test before it embarks on the UK’s upcoming Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
The destroyer is the first ship of its class to fend off hundreds of Banshee, Hammerhead, and virtual drone attacks as part of a scenario customized to mimic real-world threats. QinetiQ’s Banshee Whirlwind target is an aerial drone capable of flying at over 200mph, while the Hammerhead is an uncrewed surface vehicle which is used to imitate real-world threats.
According to the Royal Navy, HMS Dauntless shot down drones using its Phalanx automated gun, 4.5-inch and 30-mm guns, as well as an embarked Wildcat using Martlet missiles, which are able to take out targets up to 6 km away.
The training exercise, designed by instructors from the Royal Navy’s Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST) and QinetiQ, saw the ship targeted with persistent real-life and virtual threats during the day and overnight.
Commanding Officer of HMS Dauntless, Commander Ben Dorrington , said, “The realism of the exercise and training delivered provided a unique opportunity for the ship’s company to demonstrate they are ready to defend, ready to fight and ready to win.”
To increase the complexity of the scenario, a number of static targets were also positioned at sea to replicate different threats. These are equipped with technical equipment which gathers data and enables QinetiQ to understand the effectiveness of the weapons systems being used.
“QinetiQ is proud to deliver realistic threat scenarios that support the UK military’s operational readiness ahead of the Carrier Strike Group deployment,” Will Blamey , Chief Executive, UK Defence, QinetiQ, added.
This exercise follows the UK’s historic commitment to increase defense spending recognizing “the critical importance of military readiness in an era of heightened global uncertainty”.
Specifically, in February this year, UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a statement to the House of Commons. The statement committed the UK to spend 2.5% of its GDP on defense by 2027 and indicated plans to further increase spending to 3% in the next Parliament.
He said it was “the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the cold war.”
Through the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy, this substantial investment is expected to drive R&D and innovation across the UK, including developing technologies such as AI, quantum, and space capabilities.