Walter Finch
THE Spanish Navy is busy undertaking military exercises around the Strait of Gibraltar to practise anti-drone warfare.
The MAR 24-2 training mission, encompassing both the Gulf of Cadiz and the Alboran Sea, features a number of frigates, landing ships, supply ships, as well as Spain’s flagship aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I.
The eight vessels will focus primarily on Above Water Warfare (AWW), while also practising for electronic warfare and anti-aircraft warfare scenarios.
Up in the air, Spanish F-18s, MH60R helicopters and a UK-based Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS) aircraft will be soaring overhead.
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The combined 1,800 personnel will be subjected to simulated drone threats provided by Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA).
It comes after observing the success the Ukrainian Navy has enjoyed picking off the Russian Navy in the Black Sea with both sea-based and aerial drones.
Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen have consistently targeted vital Western shipping that transits the Suez Canal and the Red Sea with both drones and missiles.
The naval group participating in MAR 24-2 is made up of several Spanish Navy vessels, including the frigates Reina Sofía, Navarra, Canarias, and Méndez Núñez, as well as the replenishment ship Patiño.
These vessels are complemented by a range of other assets, such as aircraft from various Navy squadrons, helicopters, and artillery batteries, all contributing to a comprehensive training environment.
Command of the exercise lies with Captain Ernesto Grueso García, who oversees the operation from aboard the frigate Navarra.
Under his leadership, the task force aims to master control of local sea areas, ensuring the safety of simulated merchant traffic through two internationally critical straits created for the exercise.
The frigates Navarra and Canarias will then make a public stopover in Almería from October 4 to 6, with scheduled open days offering the public an opportunity to visit these naval warships.
Despite their age—nearing 30 years in service—these frigates remain fully operational and are regularly deployed in international missions such as Operation Atalanta, which ensures maritime security off the coast of Somalia.
It comes as Russian naval activity in the Strait of Gibraltar is reported to have spiked by 50% in the last year.
