The fjords of Norway are playing host to an intense military collaboration as Royal Navy aviators integrate with their Norwegian counterparts in preparation for the UK’s flagship maritime deployment of 2025.
A Wildcat flight from 815 Naval Air Squadron has embarked aboard HNoMS Otto Sverdrup for Exercise Tamber Shield 2025, a crucial step before joining her sister ship, HNoMS Roald Amundsen, next month. The Norwegian frigate is set to be a key escort for HMS Prince of Wales as it leads the UK Carrier Strike Group on an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
Training for the Real Thing
The Wildcat team, made up of pilots, engineers, and aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton, will provide the vital aviation capability typically seen aboard Royal Navy warships. To ensure continuous support, two Wildcat flights from 815 NAS will rotate throughout the Amundsen’s deployment, with the second team arriving later in the summer.
Before fully integrating, the team has been undergoing rigorous training in Norway, first ashore and now at sea. This began at the Royal Norwegian Navy’s safety centre, where UK personnel familiarised themselves with Norwegian emergency procedures and equipment.
Preparedness goes beyond flying, everyone on board is expected to contribute to damage control, just as they would on a Royal Navy vessel. This meant intensive firefighting and flood response drills in Norwegian shore-based trainers, mirroring those in Portsmouth and Plymouth.
Of course, it’s not all work and no play, Norwegian food and hospitality have been a welcome surprise, with their policy of National Service bringing Michelin-starred chefs into the navy.
Tamber Shield 2025: A Critical Test
Exercise Tamber Shield 2025 is the latest in a series that began in 2023, bringing together hundreds of British and Norwegian personnel for combined operations. The exercise features:
- P2000 fast patrol boats
- Norwegian missile craft
- Support ship HNoMS Maud
- Multiple Wildcat helicopters
Together, they are honing tactics for anti-missile warfare, countering fast attack craft, and torpedo defence, all within the dramatic and challenging confines of the Norwegian fjords.
The lessons learned here will directly support the defence of HMS Prince of Wales and her task group when they deploy to the Pacific later this year.
As the UK Carrier Strike Group prepares for one of its most significant deployments, the bond between British and Norwegian forces has never been stronger, proving once again that in modern naval warfare, teamwork is everything.
