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HMS Dauntless completes Sharpshooter counter-UAS trials off Wales

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 6:37 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

HMS Dauntless Trials Counter-UAS

HMS Dauntless completed Exercise Sharpshooter off Wales, simulating drone and missile attacks.
Lieutenant Commander David Ferguson said the crew can choose a response in 45 seconds.
The ship may be the first Type 45 to trial a counter-UAS system and passed all simulated attacks.
Two black boxes about 2 m × 1 m on Dauntless were likely interceptor-drone launchers.
Launchers appear to use targeting data from Sampson and S1850M radars and electro-optic sensors.

Summary

India Commissions Mangrol

India commissioned INS Mangrol, the third anti-submarine shallow-water craft, on 12 October 2026 in Mumbai.
Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan led the commissioning ceremony at the Naval Dockyard.
Cochin Shipyard built INS Mangrol with over 80 % indigenous content under Make in India.
The vessel is equipped with an Abhay sonar, lightweight torpedoes, an anti-submarine rocket launcher and Maareech decoy.
Larsen & Toubro-built Samarthak, the first of four multi-purpose vessels, will commission at Karwar on 16 October 2026.

History

Historical Context

In the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. battleships Missouri and Wisconsin entered Kuwaiti waters after Royal Navy minehunters cleared mines, and a Type 42 destroyer intercepted a missile aimed at Missouri while the Fleet Air Arm sank 15 Iraqi patrol boats with a 93 % hit rate. Today’s HMS Dauntless counter-UAS drill and India’s INS Mangrol commissioning echo that anti-missile legacy.

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HMS Dauntless Trials Counter-UAS

HMS Dauntless completed Exercise Sharpshooter off Wales, simulating drone and missile attacks.
Lieutenant Commander David Ferguson said the crew can choose a response in 45 seconds.
The ship may be the first Type 45 to trial a counter-UAS system and passed all simulated attacks.
Two black boxes about 2 m × 1 m on Dauntless were likely interceptor-drone launchers.
Launchers appear to use targeting data from Sampson and S1850M radars and electro-optic sensors.

1 / 3