35 aircraft, 20 ships, NASAMS and HIMARS - large-scale exercise Formidable Shield 2023 begins

The US Sixth Fleet and the NATO Naval Strike and Support Force (STRIKFORNATO) have launched Exercise Formidable Shield 2023. The event is taking place in the High North and North Atlantic Ocean.

Here's What We Know

Exercise Formidable Shield 2023 began on May 8 and will continue until May 26. The event aims to demonstrate the transatlantic alliance's "unrivalled cohesion" in its "mutual commitment" to each other and the protection of the Euro-Atlantic region.

The exercise involves 13 NATO members and partner nations, 20 ships and 35 aircraft. Soldiers will also use NASAMS air defence systems and the M142 HIMARS high-mobility artillery missile system.

NATO allies have sent planes to the UK for the exercise. Rafale M and Eurofighter Typhoon fighters, along with KC-767 aerial refuelers and P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft, will operate from the United Kingdom.

As part of Exercise Formidable Shield 2023, allied and partner forces will participate in a series of live firing exercises against subsonic, supersonic and ballistic targets. The event will test the capabilities of ships, fourth- and fifth-generation fighters.

Source: NATO