23 Feb 23. US, South Korea and Japan perform ballistic missile defence exercise. This exercise focused on bolstering the interoperability of the three forces and the trilateral cooperation. Three warships of the US, South Korea, Japan carried out trilateral ballistic missile defence exercise just days after the recent North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.
The defence drill was undertaken in the Sea of Japan on 22 February.
This trilateral exercise saw participation of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Atago-class guided missile destroyer JS Atago (DDG 177), and Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy’s destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG 991).
Besides bolstering the interoperability of the participating forces, the drill intended to strengthen the trilateral cooperation, and their commitment to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.
On 18 February, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) test-fired a long-range ballistic missile Hwasong-15 ICBM, which is claimed to be capable of hitting targets in the US, reported The KoreaTimes.
On 19 February, the US carried out separate air exercises – one with the Japanese and the other with South Korean air forces – to boost response capability in the event of any regional threat.
The drill with Japan was carried out above the Sea of Japan, and saw the deployment of US Indo-Pacific Command’s (INDOPACOM) F-16 fighter jets and B-1 bomber aircraft, along with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) B-15 fighter aircraft.
The air training exercise between the US and South Korea saw participation of ROK Air Force’s F-35A, F-15K and F-16 fighters, and the USAF’s B-1B bombers. (Source: naval-technology.com)
22 Feb 23. SNMG 1 begins exercise Dynamic Guard 23-I in Norway.
Hosted by Norway, Dynamic Guard 23-I exercise is led by MARCOM, and supported by the Nato JEWCS. Standing Nato Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 has begun Nato Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), exercise Dynamic Guard off the coast of Bergen, Norway. Hosted by Norway, led by MARCOM, and supported by the Nato Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS), Dynamic Guard 23-I is the first serial of a multi-national, bi-annual electronic warfare exercise series of Nato.
SNMG1 is one task group out of the four standing Nato maritime groups with ships from several allied countries.
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This exercise aims to offer tactical training for the Nato Response Force (Maritime) and allied national naval units.
The waters off the Norwegian coast will provide the exercise participants sufficient space to safely practice all procedures.
Following this week, the participating units are expected to achieve a new level of force integration and readiness.
During the exercise, Dynamic Guard provides capabilities to participating nations in a complete range of electronic warfare and anti-ship missile defence mechanisms, prepares SNMGs and national units to reach the highest level of interoperability in complex electronic warfare landscape.
SNMG1 commander, German Navy Rear Admiral Thorsten Marx said: “This exercise provides a unique opportunity to challenge operators with live simulation for instant assessment, requiring them to make the right decision for self-defence of the unit and the force in real-time.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
20 Feb 23. British and Omani forces complete exercise Khanjar Oman.
The exercise was carried out in Ras Madrakah, which is the Omani-British joint training area in Duqm. UK and Oman soldiers during a bi-lateral military exercise in Oman. Credit: WO2 Pete Bristo MBE/UK MOD © Crown copyright/Flickr(Creative Commons).
Soldiers from the British Army and the Royal Army of Oman have completed a two-week long training exercise, Khanjar Oman, to hone their warfighting skills.
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Held between 3-14 February, the exercise was carried out in Ras Madrakah, which is the Omani-British joint training area in Duqm.
This was the first main training event conducted as part of the British Army’s four-month long deployment to Oman.
During this joint activity, soldiers from the two nations operated together to build a mock assault on an enemy deployed in an urban area.
It allowed the participating soldiers to assess their capabilities to train in complex scenarios in different terrains such as plains, mountains, deserts, and wadi systems.
Simultaneously, the troops also exchanged and honed their soldiering skills and tactics in austere environments to protect themselves against diverse threats.
Another objective of exercise Khanjar Oman was to prepare the British soldiers to take up the Nato’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in January 2024.
The Royal Anglian Regiment 2nd Battalion battlegroup commander lieutenant colonel Ben Hawes said: “Since March last year, the focus of our training has been to ensure that we are ready to fight against a peer enemy force.
“My troops have been absolutely put through their paces. Everything that our peer enemies could do to us, has been done to us. I’ve operated with every single one of my radio frequencies jammed, I’ve operated with no GPS, I’ve operated at night for long periods of time; we’ve done training serial after training serial.
“This is about our ability to operate and sustain an operation against an enemy that has the same, or maybe even greater capabilities than we do.”
(Source: army-technology.com)
17 Feb 23. BAE and FSTC to Develop Mission Simulator Training Capabilities for the Indian Armed Forces. BAE Systems and FSTC have announced plans to design, build and supply world-leading simulators to train pilots of the Indian Armed Forces.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) announced at AeroIndia, the companies will work together to develop a Twin Dome Full Mission Simulator for BAE Systems’ Hawk Mk132 fast jet trainer aircraft, which will use a realistic synthetic environment to help pilots train at a higher standard than ever before.
The Hawk Mk132 has supported the training of highly-trained pilots to the Indian Air Force for more than two decades, with many aircraft built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under licence from BAE Systems.
There are now 650 Hawks operating worldwide and BAE Systems has decades of experience working with armed forces across the globe to deliver and evolve training to prepare pilots for life in fast jet cockpits.
FSTC is India’s leading flight simulation training company. It will integrate the cockpit, motion and visual display system, along with model designated military bases as part of the new agreement.
Ravi Nirgudkar, Managing Director, BAE Systems – India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, said:
“BAE Systems has decades of experience working with armed forces across the globe to deliver and evolve training to meet current and future operational requirements, so we’re delighted to collaborate with FSTC to enhance capabilities for the Indian Armed Forces. Having worked with the Indian Air Force to support training of highly-trained pilots through Hawk, we can bring our knowledge of the world’s most proven fast jet trainer with our expertise in delivering training from the classroom to the frontline – and everything in between.”
Capt D S Basraon, Managing Director, FSTC said: “We are elated to partner with BAE Systems for delivery of a fully functional indigenously developed Twin Dome Hawk Mk132 Simulator to assist our defence forces train their pilots under various real world scenarios. Having delivered state of the art training infrastructure and curriculum to commercial pilots over the past one decade, this momentous tie-up will allow us extend similar capability to our defence forces under rationalised usage terms.”
The new collaboration will strengthen indigenous skills and capabilities across the Indian aerospace and defence sector, helping to support the “Make in India” initiative. The full mission simulator is due to be installed within 24 months.(Source: ASD Network)