An amphibious demonstration has been staged in northern Germany as part of Steadfast Dart 26, NATO’s largest military exercise this year.
The ongoing joint exercise is spanning central Europe, with its main base of operations in Germany. Its naval element includes 17 assets, including amphibious landing ships, frigates, mine countermeasure vessels, destroyers, and submarines.
The wider Steadfast Dart 26 exercise involves 10,000 service personnel from 13 Allied nations. It represents one of the first large-scale deployments of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF), NATO’s multinational quick reaction force.
Last Wednesday at the Putlos military training area in northern Germany, a 15-ship combined task force from six Allied nations carried out an amphibious landing demonstration.
It included the use of a Bayraktar TB-3 uncrewed aerial system (UAS) from TCG Anadolu, the Turkish Navy’s 27,000-ton, 232-metre amphibious assault ship.
During the demonstration day it was used for ISR; earlier in the week it had successfully carried out a strike mission on a sea-based surface target with MAM-L munitions. It was a milestone moment which had marked the first NATO operational use of armed drones from a carrier.
Spanish Maritime Forces Headquarters, currently serving as the ARF Maritime Component Command on board Spanish amphibious warfare vessel Castilla, oversaw Wednesday’s exercise.
Other elements involved included the Turkish Amphibious Task Group embarked on TCG Anadolu, Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1), Spanish frigate Cristóbal Colón, Turkish frigates TCG Oruçreis and TCG Istanbul, and the replenishment ship TCG Derya.
During the staged landing drill, simulated hostile targets identified by the UAS were engaged by German Eurofighter 2000 aircraft.
Spanish SOF conducted an underwater insertion to clear simulated explosive hazards and Turkish and Spanish naval special ops teams fast-roped ashore by helicopter while Turkish attack helicopters provided close air support.
The main landing force comprised Turkish Marines landing in high-speed boats, followed by ZAHA amphibious assault vehicles. The exercise wrapped up by picking up Spanish SOF using an Airborne Tactical Extraction Platform,
- You can read more details on the NATO Joint Forces Command website