HMS Dauntless joins forces with huge France carrier Charles de Gaulle in "largest exercise since Cold War"
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British sailors have joined forces with a huge French aircraft carrier in preparation for the country’s largest military drill since the Cold War.
Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Dauntless has linked up with FS Charles de Gaulle and the French Carrier Strike Group. French forces are preparing for Exercise Orion, a large operation which involved 12,500 troops, 25 ships and 140 aircraft.
Euronews described it as France’s largest military exercise since the Cold War. It began on Sunday (February 7) and runs until April 30. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces described Orion as “a major event in the French operational preparation for high-intensity scenarios". Its aim is to prepare forces for “complex situations in multiple, varied, and contested environments", they added.
The French Carrier Strike Group social media account announced yesterday afternoon (February 11) that HMS Dauntless joined the group. The Type 45 destroyer was seen today carrying out a replenish at sea drill with the tanker BRF Jacques Chevallier, with the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter.
Euronews reports that Exercise Orion is based on a fictional scenario involving two countries called Arnland and Mercury, directly inspired by the Russian threat in Europe. Mercury will be the expansionist state opposing its neighbour Arnland, and will be seeking to destabilise the fictional nation to prevent stronger ties with the European Union.
In response, France will lead an international coalition to defend Arnland. Simulated amphibious and air landings will be taking place in Brittany. Roughly 700 soldiers and 100 vehicles will be deployed near Quiberon on February 20 and 21.
Nato will assume command of the exercise from April, testing how allies can work alongside each other. The exercise fields three brigades, 2,150 tactical vehicles and 40 helicopters. They will be joined by cyber and space warfare capabilities. French and Nato forces will simulate deployments, launch counter attacks, and cross the Seine and Aube rivers while under fire. Japan, Switzerland, Morocco and the US are among the other nations taking part in the drills.
HMS Dauntless, a Type 45 destroyer, completed her maintenance period and returned to sea on January 22. She played a vital role on Operation Highmast, as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group headed up by HMS Prince of Wales in the Indo-Pacific.