Executive Summary

In May 2023, 20 ships, 35 aircraft and over 4,000 personnel from 13 NATO countries came together to test missiles, systems, sensors and software against ballistic, subsonic and supersonic targets in a realistic, live-fire mission rehearsal event as part of At Sea Demonstration/Formidable Shield 23 (ASD-FS23).

The US-led coalition programme was hosted by QinetiQ and conducted by the Maritime Theatre Missile Defence Forum (MTMD-F) on, around and above the MOD Hebrides Range and Andoya, Norway to demonstrate high-end, warfighting capabilities and combat system interoperability. Significantly, it combined the operational aspects of a sophisticated live-fire exercise with advanced test and evaluation activities and all programme objectives were successfully met.

The trial

Formidable Shield 23 was the fifth in the series of biennial maritime exercises. Activities focused on the defensive and simultaneous deployment of Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) systems within a joint operation and using NATO command and control reporting structures. The key objectives were to use representative operational scenarios to test coalition interoperability of maritime, air and land assets, to assess new technologies, and to promote joint capabilities in response to the proliferation of increasingly advanced threats.

Outcomes and benefits

This exercise saw true integration across a multi-domain landscape with participation from land, naval and air forces, providing an opportunity to work together in a realistic 'train as you fight' environment.

A number of notable 'firsts' were achieved during the three-week trial including:

  • the first launch of UK/US funded Guided BMD target, the IAMD-T,
  • the first attempted tracking of a BMD target in the terminal phase by a Typhoon;
  • the first engagement of a subsonic target by a UK Typhoon, cued by a Type 45 destroyer with an air-launch missile.

Jim Graham, Managing Director of QinetiQ's UK Maritime & Land Domain, commented:

We were absolutely delighted with the event this year, it was a great success and all the customers involved were extremely positive about the exercises, outcomes and plans for the future. MOD Hebrides provided ample air and sea space for the allies to test and evaluate their capabilities in a real-world setting. Various targets were employed, including the Banshee Jet80+ from QinetiQ Target Systems. These provided participants the opportunity to run integrated air and missile defence scenarios against representations of ballistic missiles, supersonic sea skimming missiles and aggressor jets.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge MP, said:

Formidable Shield is a hugely important exercise and I was honoured to see first-hand the co-operation between our Allied nations.

Hosted in the Outer Hebrides, and bringing together aircraft, naval ships and more than 4,000 military personnel from 13 NATO nations, Formidable Shield truly demonstrated our effective collaboration in defending and deterring against emerging threats.