In the air, on and under water: drones, drones and more drones. 25 NATO countries tested the large-scale deployment of these unmanned systems in maritime operations in recent weeks.
This took place off the coast of Portugal’s Sesimbra and the Tróia peninsula. The Royal Netherlands Navy participated with amphibious transport ship HNLMS Johan de Witt. The Mine Action Module Group also contributed with support ship Geosea and several water drones.
The training focused mainly on operational experiments and testing new capabilities. Watch a video about the exerise (Dutch commentary only) by the Dutch Ministry of Defence below.
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Testing the USV90
For the Dutch navy, the focus included the recently delivered USV90. This 9-metre-long unmanned craft can transport goods and people. Furthermore, it can be used for reconnaissance. For example, it transports smaller underwater drones to an area with sea mines. These identify the explosive material and then defuse it. In this way, the crew of the mother ship – in this case the Geosea – stays at a safe distance.
Development of new drones
The training organised by Portugal was an excellent opportunity for the Dutch Mine Service to test the USV90 in detail. The knowledge gained is important, because the navy is fully committed to developing new types of drones. The war in Ukraine shows how important unmanned systems are for contemporary and future combat.
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Swarms
From HNLMS Johan de Witt, a team practised with different types of flying drones. The focus was on deploying the unmanned systems as swarms.
Apart from military personnel, other parties were also involved in the exercise. For instance, external suppliers were on board the Johan de Witt to test new types of drones. But research institutes, innovative companies and universities also travelled to Portugal for the training. All deal with maritime operations and/or unmanned maritime systems.
Picture (top): Support ship Geosea and the USV90 were present during the NATO exercise (by Dutch Ministry of Defence).
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