|
HMS ILLUSTRIOUS or ‘Lusty’ as she is known has continued to exercise her Maritime Strike Group to ensure that the NATO Reaction Force-9 (NRF-9) is fully integrated, becoming a potent and cohesive team, ready to support ongoing UN Operations to maintain stability in North Mapleland. As part of this, Lusty has continued to test every aspect of her might using Force units to challenge her considerable capabilities. Overnight, FGS SACHSEN was given the task to try and covertly transit through the Task Group, but was successfully detected and reported by Lusty’s highly capable Airborne Surveillance and Control Sea Kings helicopters from 849 Naval Air Squadron (NAS). Lt Cdr Geoff Hayward, the Commanding Officer of 849 NAS, remarked that ‘it was a fantastic opportunity for us to test our capabilities and the team were able to quickly find and report the Ship, which is testament to the professionalism and skills of the team as a whole’. The air defence element of the Task Group was also ‘put through its paces’ according to Lt Cdr Anthony Rimington, Principle Warfare Officer (Air), by the Royal Naval Strike Wing operating from ILLUSTRIOUS, which simulated a number of attacks against the Group. During this serial her Ops Room team and the air defence destroyer HMS MANCHESTER provided an ‘impenetrable shield’ for the Task Group. To complete the hat trick, Lusty also demonstrated her ability to counter any submarine threat using the multi-role Merlin Helicopters from 820 Naval Air Squadron operating from the Strike Support Vessel FORT GEORGE.
With reference to the successful training serials, Cdr David Heley, the Executive Officer, stated that ‘the team has again stepped up to the plate and met every challenge with bags of enthusiasm and gusto’ further adding that as a result of an ongoing training programme, ILLUSTRIOUS is always ready to defeat any threat and will take a leading role within the NRF-9, if called upon’. |
COMMANDERS