NATO warships descend on Glasgow dock ahead of major naval exercise

WARSHIPS have descended on Glasgow ahead of a major naval exercise.

The NATO vessels are tied up at King George V dock in the city’s Shieldhall area.

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There are four frigates and a corvette from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

The warships have come together in preparation for Exercise Strike Warrior.

Striking drone shots show the imposing ships berthed ahead of the large-scale training event.

They include Portugal’s Vasco da Gama-class frigate Dom Francisco de Almeida, the Belgian Karel-Doorman-class frigate B.N.S. Louise-Marie, the Netherlands’ De Zeven Provincien-class frigates H.N.L.M.S. De Ruyter and H.N.L.M.S. Van Amstel, and Germany’s Braunschweig-class corvette F.G.S. Magdeburg.

Dom Francisco de Almeida is armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes.

B.N.S. Louise-Marie is equipped with Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and two torpedo launchers.

F.G.S. Magdeburg is kitted out with RBS-15 MK3 anti-ship missiles, aa 76mm naval gun, and two MLG 27mm auto-canons.

It is also equipped with a RAM (rolling airframe missile) for air defence.

The heavily armed vessels will undertake several drills to sharpen the collaborative capabilities of NATO member navies.

Exercise Strike Warrior is an annual training exercise hosted by the Royal Navy.

Exercises will be held off the coast of Scotland and will involve warships, submarines, and aircraft.

The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s flagship vessel, will play a key role in the drills.