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Royal Navy Validates Sea Venom and Naval Strike Missiles in Joint Live-Fire Exercise
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Live-Fire Test of New Anti-Ship Missiles
On September 21, a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, operating from HMS Portland, launched a Sea Venom missile at the decommissioned USS Klakring, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate of roughly 4,000 tonnes, positioned about 150 nm off the MoD Hebrides range in north-west Scotland. The same exercise saw HMS Portland fire a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) at the same target. Both launches marked the first live-fire engagements of these weapons against a warship by the Royal Navy.
Operational Context and International Cooperation
The missile firings were part of Exercise Atlantic Thunder 2026 (AT26), a multinational live-fire series that ran from 14 – 25 September and involved the United States Navy, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force and other U.S. task-force elements. The US Sixth Fleet’s Task Force 65 commander, Capt. Kelechi Ndukwe, confirmed that the test proceeded without communications problems; the link architecture was managed from Sixth Fleet headquarters and shared with HMS Portland. The United States prepared and towed the Klakring across the Atlantic, while the United Kingdom funded the use of the Hebrides range. Environmental safeguards included Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved pollutant removal and marine-mammal monitoring in line with MoD policy.
Technical Performance and Data Collection
Sea Venom, declared Initial Operating Capability during Operation HIGHMAST in 2025, has a range exceeding 20 km and an operator-in-the-loop guidance link that allows late-stage aimpoint selection. The NSM, sourced from Norwegian Navy stocks and currently installed only on HMS Somerset and HMS Portland, complements the forthcoming Stratus long-range anti-ship weapon. The exercise also featured a US-launched RIM-174 Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) at its maximum range (estimated 240-370 km), F-15E Strike Eagle bombs, and a Mk 48 Advanced Capability torpedo from the Virginia-class submarine USS Massachusetts, which delivered the final blow to the hulk. Sensors fitted by Naval Surface Warfare Centre Carderock and Naval Information Warfare Centre will require several months of analysis, and the United States has pledged a two-way battle-damage assessment with the United Kingdom.
Official Assessment and Future Plans
Capt. Ndukwe described the exercise as a “success,” emphasizing the value of seamless communication and shared damage assessment for maintaining lethal, interoperable naval forces. Planning for the next Atlantic Thunder exercise is already underway, with execution targeted for 2028—half the interval since the 2026 event. By that time the Royal Navy expects its first Type 26 frigate to be in service and a broader fit of the NSM across its escort fleet.