Royal Marines took intention on the engine of a ship suspected of drug smuggling whereas flying in HMS Lancaster’s Wildcat helicopter over the Gulf of Oman. £35 million of medication had been subsequently seized.
Three skiffs had been first recognized by the Wildcat helicopter’s crew after launching on an early morning patrol from Sort 23 frigate HMS Lancaster, which has been deployed to the Center East with rotating crews since 2022. Lancaster subsequently deployed its different embarked air asset, a Peregrine rotary wing uncrewed aerial system (RWUAS), to proceed monitoring the skiffs undetected whereas the Wildcat returned to the ship for a top-up of gas. Whereas on deck, the helicopter picked up a Maritime Sniper Workforce from the ship’s embarked complement of Royal Marines from 42 Commando.
After returning to the scene, the Wildcat HMA2 closed in on the skiffs and made its presence recognized for the primary time. Spooked, the skiffs’ operators elevated their pace to over 40 knots and ditched elements of their cargo in an try to flee. Two of the three boats had been deserted consequently. The third was stopped by a single spherical from the sniper group, who opened hearth on the outboard motor whereas the plane’s pilots flew backwards and supplied as secure of a firing platform as doable.
Hoofin’ shootin’ 👏💪
Pinpoint accuracy from @RoyalMarines snipers of @42_commando in an @815NAS Wildcat from @HMSLANCASTER stopped traffickers of their tracks as their engine was disabled whereas attempting to flee with £35m unlawful medication within the Gulf.
🔗 pic.twitter.com/vAVMiSAS4I
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) October 12, 2025
Drug smuggling within the Gulf area has historically relied upon gradual transferring ‘dhows’ relatively than excessive pace craft like skiffs, that are extra typical of Caribbean smuggling operations. Whereas Wildcat helicopters have hosted Maritime Sniper Groups throughout earlier busts, this was the primary time they had been known as upon to open hearth and disable a vessel. The gradual transferring nature of the standard dhows means preliminary intercepts may be made by the frigates’ personal boats, with the snipers offering overwatch.
Boats had been launched from Lancaster to analyze additional, recovering over 1.5 tonnes of narcotics together with heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and cannabis. In response to the UK Authorities, the whole haul of seized items would have a avenue worth of £35 million.
Commanding Officer of HMS Lancaster, Commander Sam Stephens, stated he’s “massively pleased with the group’s professionalism, persistence, and ability all through what was a protracted chase,” including that the operation “noticed Lancaster’s crewed and uncrewed plane working hand-in-glove beneath the course of the ship’s operations room. The end result was a highly-successful bust, eradicating massive portions of narcotics from the streets and stopping their income from fuelling extremism.”
The Wildcat helicopter was piloted by Lieutenant Man Warry of 815 Naval Air Squadron (NAS). He stated that “being the Wildcat pilot finishing up a reside weapons firing on drug-running skiffs while flying backwards to supply a secure platform for the snipers was positively a profession spotlight.”
Member of Parliament and Minister for the Armed Forces Al Carns celebrated the information. “Not solely have our Royal Navy and Royal Marines disrupted a significant prison enterprise and stored medication off our streets and away from our youngsters, however have as soon as once more demonstrated effectiveness, decisive motion and the exceptionally excessive customary of our Royal Navy and Marines. I salute our Royal Navy and Royal Marines for his or her indefatigable work conserving us protected at residence and robust overseas.”
Operation Kipion
Royal Navy presence within the Gulf area to sort out smuggling and piracy operations, in addition to play a wider half in regional safety and conduct workout routines with native allies, has been fixed for a few years beneath the codename Operation Kipion, although the extent of deployed belongings has diversified. Previous to HMS Lancaster’s arrival in 2022, the long run ahead deployed frigate was HMS Montrose. Earlier than Montrose’s deployment, the usage of frigates or destroyers was a extra sporadic affair, with the everlasting presence as a substitute supplied by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bay class amphibious auxiliary and a fleet of mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs).
The deployed MCMV drive used the Bay class as a ‘mothership’ till the bigger vessel was withdrawn from the deployed presence on account of a mixture of RFA personnel shortages and Bay class availability. As MCMVs themselves have been regularly phased out of Royal Navy service in favour of rising uncrewed techniques, the deployed drive of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron has additionally been diminished. Beforehand comprising 4 vessels, the squadron at present has two ships assigned, although one, HMS Bangor, continues to be out of service following a 2024 collision. The squadron operates from the UK Naval Assist Facility in Bahrain, which is commissioned as HMS Jufair.
Kipion is prone to be HMS Lancaster’s remaining deployment, and the ship is anticipated to return to the UK to decommission later this yr. The Royal Navy’s Sort 23 frigates have remained in service longer and been labored more durable rather more than anticipated, on account of downsizing of different elements of the Royal Navy fleet and delays to the Sort 26 frigate program. From a drive of 13 Sort 23s notionally in service in 2020, the drive, together with Lancaster, now sits at 8 vessels.
Ships meant to endure refits to increase their service lives, like HMS Westminster, have subsequently been discovered to be past financial restore. Whereas the Sort 23s battle on, the Royal Navy’s different escort drive, its Sort 45 destroyers, have confronted low availability whereas the fleet undergoes main refits to improve propulsion techniques which had been dealing with main reliability points in hotter waters.
Because of the scarcity of Sort 23s, Lancaster’s withdrawal from Kipion will likely be and not using a direct alternative. Sort 26 frigates are anticipated to start coming into Royal Navy service in 2028, although some later ships within the class could also be delayed by the necessity to present vessels for the Royal Norwegian Navy after a much-celebrated export order success. Mitigating the impression of this, although, is an elevated degree of co-operation between the already shut Norwegian and British navies that can see each fleets of Sort 26s working in the direction of frequent targets in waters of Northern Europe.
Moreover, general-purpose Sort 31 frigates are presently scheduled to enter service across the similar time. These hulls, although cheaper and theoretically decrease in functionality in comparison with the excessive finish Sort 26s, are ideally fitted to deployments like Kipion. This then permits the anti-submarine warfare specialist Sort 26 hulls to concentrate on the necessary duties of defending the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines because the Towed Array Patrol Ship (TAPS) or escorting the Queen Elizabeth class plane carriers. Sort 31s will carry the identical Sea Ceptor missile defence system already battle confirmed on board the Sort 23, in addition to a Mk 110 57mm major gun and two Bofors 40mm auxiliary weapons.
