HMS Duncan demonstrates air defence capability in exercise
Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan has showcased its air defence capabilities during Exercise Mare Aperto off the coast of Italy, the navy announced on 16 May.
The destroyer joined 57 ships, helicopters and aircraft from eight countries in the Italian multilateral maritime warfare exercise.
The Royal Navy ship conducted six anti-submarine and 11 air defence exercises in seven days before the participating units divided into opposing forces to test their abilities. The warship was tasked with providing air and surface defences as the exercise moved through the Messina Straits which divide Sicily and mainland Italy.
In the scenario, Italy and Sicily played the role of allies while Sardinia played a hostile nation. To retake control of the region, an amphibious task force was deployed to Sardinia while an Italian and Spanish ship landed two battalions of marines ashore. Meanwhile, HMS Duncan provided protection from surface, sub-surface and air threats during the ‘invasion’.
HMS Duncan had been in the Mediterranean conducting security operations as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2). The Portsmouth-based ship will now continue its deployment in the region, rejoining SNMG2 later in May.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment]()
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
-
![Japan’s FY2027 budget bets on stand-off systems to offset demographic decline]()
Japan’s FY2027 budget bets on stand-off systems to offset demographic decline
Japan’s FY2027 defence budget backs stand-off strike, a 17-aircraft MQ-9B buy and a declared bid to lead the world in uncrewed maritime assets, alongside new frigates, submarines and support ships.
-
![Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand]()
Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand
Ukrainian intelligence has catalogued more than 20 Russian uncrewed surface vessels, revealing a portfolio weighted towards mine warfare and logistics, with implications for Western naval investment.
