How the Hormuz mine threat exposes potential Baltic MCM shortfalls
The Tripartite-class minehunters were formed from a joint venture between France, Belgium and the Netherlands. (Photo: Royal Netherlands Navy)
Ageing Baltic vessels and an absence of active minehunting vessel programmes in the region have been put under the spotlight in the recent conflict.
The laying of mines by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted potential deficiencies in the minehunting capabilities of Western nations to defend key assets such as oil and gas transport lanes in the Middle East from such threats by adversarial states.
With limited capabilities in the region, Western navies have had to scramble to reconfigure existing vessels to conduct mine countermeasure (MCM) operations. Examples of this include the Royal Navy’s (RN) recent conversion of RFA Lyme Bay and the US Navy’s reliance on its Independence-class littoral combat ship to keep its own assets safe.
The Baltic Sea
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![RTX confirms US Marine Corps and US Navy acquire Hadalus UUV]()
RTX confirms US Marine Corps and US Navy acquire Hadalus UUV
RTX told Shephard that the Hadalus UUV has been procured by the US Marine Corps and the Office of Naval Research for operational experimentation as the company prepares additional demonstrations with the US Navy, NATO and AUKUS partners.
-
![Europe’s naval contractors benefit from growing refit and upgrade demand]()
Europe’s naval contractors benefit from growing refit and upgrade demand
Rheinmetall’s order to modernise the German Navy frigate Bayern points to a wider European shift towards extending warship service life as new-build programmes face delay.
-
![The UK joins the movement towards joint procurement]()
The UK joins the movement towards joint procurement
The UK will spend an estimated US$3.89 billion over the next decade in joint naval programmes, a lot of which will be in cooperation with Norway.
