PHOTOS: NATO navies hold massive missile defence drill in Scotland as tensions with North Korea continue to mount
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Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet via Flickr
Eight NATO powers have joined forces to take part in a massive missile defence training exercise — and the photos from it look extraordinary.
Britain, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain assembled at the UK Ministry of Defence Hebrides Range to take part in "Formidable Shield," a US-led exercise to train the countries to defend against ballistic missiles.
A total of 14 ships, ten aircraft, and about 3,300 personnel are involved in the exercise, NATO said in a statement.
Formidable Shield is the first time NATO allies have practiced defending against unpredictable ballistic missiles, it said.
The exercise began on September 24 and will run until October 18.
Scroll down to learn more about Formidable Shield through the photos below.
Formidable Shield has brought together eight different NATO navies.
The countries involvde are the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.
The exercises cover more than 1,500 km west of the Hebrides and commercial ships are forbidden from travelling through the training throughout the exercise, French aerospace company the Thales Group said.
The aim of the exercise is to train the countries’ missile defence systems. Here’s USS Mitscher launching a missile to intercept a simulated enemy missile.
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet via Flickr
Participating ships include: The Donald Cook and Winston S. Churchill from the US, the Somerset and Dragon from the UK, the De Ruyter and Tromp from the Netherlands, the Montréal from Canada, and the Alvaro de Bazán from Spain.
Here’s a closer look of the Mitscher firing the SM-2 missile…
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet via Flickr
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Security footage shows Kim Jong Un’s brother Kim Jong Nam on a stretcher after alleged assassination
- Jimmy Carter reportedly wants to become the chief negotiator between the US and North Korea
- Britain is secretly making plans for war with North Korea — and HMS Queen Elizabeth could be deployed early
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