Fifth US fleet completes New Horizon

First joint exercise of unmanned and manned surface vessels by NAVCENT

Defence News reports that the US Fifth Fleet has conducted an exercise called New Horizon, in which a MANTAS T-12 drone integrated into Task Force 59 operated for the first time with manned US patrol boats and Bahrain Defense Force units. MANTAS T-12 is an unmanned multi-purpose surface vessel that can be used for patrols, SAR operations and maritime surveillance. As the US Navy announced, the USVs were remotely operated from aboard the patrol boat USS Firebolt (PC 10) during the first phase of New Horizon on 20 October. This involved testing formation manoeuvres at high speed.

In the final phase on 26 October, several units of manned and unmanned vehicles from NAVCENT, the Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) and the Bahrain Coast Guard were tested. These included the USCGC Maui patrol boat (WPB 1304), an SH-60S helicopter, a V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle and RBNF patrol vehicles. The exercise shows that the USA is committed to Bahrain as a regional partner. Against the backdrop of possible asymmetric threats in this sea area, this is a signal to Iran, which is able to exert pressure on the Gulf neighbours with small missiles and drones. The USA is thus participating in the presence in the Strait of Hormuz, for example, with minimal risk in cooperation with its Gulf partners.