Exercise Tamber Shield: Puma drones to help Wildcats hunt fast boats in Norwegian fjords

Royal Navy surveillance drones will be used for the first time on Exercise Tamber Shield as British Wildcat helicopters train to hunt fast-moving boats in the Norwegian fjords.

Puma drones from 700X Naval Air Squadron will scout ahead of the helicopters, tracking British and Norwegian patrol craft as they move through the narrow waters around Bergen.

The information will then be passed back to Wildcat crews from 815 Naval Air Squadron, allowing them to carry out simulated attacks with Martlet missiles against small, fast-moving targets.

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The two-week exercise brings together Royal Navy helicopters, uncrewed aircraft, P2000 patrol boats and the Royal Norwegian Navy's Skjold-class missile boats.

The training also includes a British air defence troop on land, using a surface-to-air missile simulator to practise engaging the Wildcats.

Lieutenant Commander Ross Gallagher, the Wildcat detachment commander, said: "Tamber Shield is one of the key highlights in the warfighting training calendar for our squadron, affording us the opportunity to sharpen our skills in a particularly challenging environment.

"We are particularly excited to integrate uncrewed aviation this year, driving forward crewed and uncrewed teaming as we work towards a truly Hybrid Navy."

On the water, HMS Archer, HMS Explorer, HMS Exploit and HMS Biter will test the helicopter crews.

They will train alongside Norwegian Skjold-class missile boats, which can reach 60 knots in calm waters.

Around 150 UK personnel are taking part in the exercise, held under the banner of Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force.