French Navy Horizon Air Defense Destroyer

 

According to the French Navy, the crew of first ship-in-class Forbin intercepted the sea skimming target

flying at a speed in excess of 3,000 Km/h (likely a GQM-163A Coyote Sea Skimming Target Vehicle) using an MBDA Aster 30 surface to air missile.

«Piste hostile! Missile paré! Feu Aster! Missile en vol! Interception! Killed!» L’équipage du Forbin vient d’intercepter 1 cible supersonique volant à + de 3000 km/h à la surface de l’eau. Pour une FDA, c’est le 1er tir Aster 30 de combat équipé de sa charge militaire. pic.twitter.com/LZMYjXcuME

— Marine nationale (@MarineNationale) May 26, 2021

Formidable Shield is a live-fire integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) exercise conducted by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO on behalf of U.S. Sixth Fleet. The 2021 edition kicked off on May 15 at the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides Range in the vicinity of the Western Isles of Scotland.

The exercise exhibits allied interoperability in a live-fire joint IAMD environment, using NATO command and control reporting structures. Fifteen ships from ten nations are participating this year.

For the record, Aquitaine-class FREMM Frigate Bretagne intercepted a supersonic target using the shorter range Aster 15 missile during the 2019 edition of the exercise.