29 September 2026 , 21:31
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A warship was struck by a missile and sunk off the coast of Scotland as the Royal Navy and United States test a new “ship-busting” weapon.
The decommissioned American frigate USS Klakring served as a realistic target for the missile system in the exercise, conducted about 150 nautical miles off the Hebrides coast in the North Atlantic.
HMS Portland, a Plymouth-based Type 23 frigate, launched a Naval Strike Missile at the former warship during Exercise Atlantic Thunder.
Meanwhile, a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron fired Sea Venom missiles from Portland’s flight deck.
Both weapons struck and obliterated their target in stunning footage released by the Royal Navy.
Running from September 14 to 25, the dramatic test confirmed the formidable effectiveness of the Navy’s anti-ship weapons in their first operational live firings against a realistic target.
The Naval Strike Missile is an advanced anti-ship warhead that can reach near-supersonic speeds and engage targets beyond 100 miles.
It evades enemy defences by flying extremely low over the water’s surface.
The sailor who pulled the trigger on the launch, Petty Officer James Kenyon, said the successful hit was a “very proud moment and one that will stay with me for the rest of my career”.
“This was the culmination of over a year’s effort in planning and bringing the drills into service,” he said.
Portland’s principal warfare officer, Lieutenant Commander Louise Kirkaldy, said: “The successful firing of NSM marks a significant milestone for the Royal Navy, demonstrating our ability to deliver credible, modern maritime strike capability.
“This achievement reflects the professionalism, dedication and teamwork of all those involved, whose hard work has ensured we remain ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Commander Paul Meigh of the Royal Navy said the exercise was “designed to demonstrate and train our lethality against surface platforms in the North Atlantic theatre”.
He said the test had demonstrated the “really high-end warfighting that hopefully we will never need to use”.
“This is potentially a battle space that we will need to fight in the future, and we need to understand how we achieve that quickly and deliver force where necessary,” Commander Meigh said.
On the American side, the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius opened the engagement sequence by firing an anti-surface variant of the Standard Missile 6 at its farthest possible range.
The submarine USS Massachusetts then closed in and struck the Klakring with a Mark 48 Advanced Capability Torpedo.
It was this strike that saw the USS Klakring sink below the waves.
“Atlantic Thunder demonstrates the unmatched lethality and interoperability of the United States and United Kingdom,” America’s Captain Kelechi Ndukwe said.
He added the operation delivered “a clear message to adversaries that the US Navy and Royal Navy remain a ready allied force,” describing the underlying principle as “peace through strength”.
The wreck of the Klakring will remain on the seabed in a deep underwater valley off the Hebrides, where it is expected to develop into a natural reef over time.
Previous warships sunk in this manner have been surveyed years later and found to support marine growth.
Technology & Business Editor