The 41st Escort Squadron has programed and conducted an advanced tactical exercise simulating a massive attack with drones in collaboration with INTA (National Institute of Aerospace Technology) during the Exercise MAR 24-2.
On September 30th, the 41st Escort Squadron conducted an advanced exercise against an attack with multiple drones in collaboration with the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA).
The UAV-defense exercise has been a milestone in the simulation of this emerging threat, so relevant nowadays in scenarios such as the Red Sea. The time window was programmed within a scenario generated for the occasion, and characterized by the uncertainty and instability caused by the presence of conventional military forces and insurgent cells, using disruptive technologies in a collaborative manner.
During the exercise, the Task Group MAR 24-2, made up of the F-80 frigates ‘Reina Sofía’, ‘Navarra’ and ‘Canarias’, the F-100 ‘Méndez Núñez’ and the AOR ‘Patiño’, carried out a transit of 35 nautical miles through a simulated international strait being threatened in the surrounding area of a fictional island off the coast of Huelva.
The area chosen, with a significant presence of fishing and merchant traffic, recreated the conditions similar to those currently present in the southern Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb, key areas for international maritime security.
During a challenging morning, the warships were harassed by up to seven different types of drones. They were launched from land and insurgent boats, with coordinated attacks, testing the ship’s capabilities and increasing the training of the crews to firmly repel the threats and mitigate potential damage while preserving their combat capability.
Exercise MAR 24-2, which is focused primarily on the surface war zone, began on September 23rd and will continue until October 4th in southern Spanish waters. In addition to the three fundamental pillars of surface warfare, MAR 24-2 has been designed to enable further progress in the design and analysis of anti-UV defense techniques.
The planning, organization and execution of the exercise is being carried out by the Commander of the 41st Escort Squadron, Captain Ernesto Grueso García, embarked with his Deployable Staff on board the frigate ‘Navarra’, which operates as flagship of the Task Force.
The frigates of the 41st Escort Squadron, which regularly deploy in Operation ‘Atalanta’ in the Indian Ocean, are equipped with the new EM&E’s C-UXV ‘Guardian’ 2.0 and ‘Sentinel’ 30 systems and INDRA’s CROW, which strengthen their defense capabilities against this emerging threat.