The Naval Strike Missile launched from Portland struck the former warship, according to the Royal Navy. “Being the first person to fire war-shot NSM and achieve a hit is a very proud moment, and one that will stay with me for the rest of my career,” said Petty Officer James Kenyon, an above-water warfare specialist aboard the frigate.
The Wildcat crew carried out the full process of detecting, identifying and striking the target with Sea Venom. “For the first time we demonstrated the live firing of an operational Sea Venom missile against a representative maritime target,” said Lieutenant Commander Rhydian Edwards, who led the maritime aviation strike test and evaluation work.
The Royal Navy said Naval Strike Missile can engage targets more than 100 miles away while flying close to the sea surface. Sea Venom is designed to attack corvette-sized ships or disable larger vessels, and a Wildcat can carry four of the missiles.
The firings took place at the Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides range as part of a combined exercise with US forces. “The opportunity to fire anti-ship missiles against a decommissioned warship is an important test of our warfighting capability,” said Commander Dafydd Bryden, Portland’s commanding officer.
