Royal Navy HMS Duncan Neutralizes Drone Targets in Defense Exercise

QinetiQ has delivered Exercise Sharpshooter, a four-day live-firing training exercise off the Welsh coast that saw Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan defend against coordinated drone attacks designed to replicate real-world threats.

Delivered in collaboration with Fleet Operational Standards and Training, the exercise created a demanding operational environment in which HMS Duncan was required to respond to multiple simultaneous threats while maintaining defensive operations.

The scenario was developed by Inzpire, a QinetiQ-owned company specializing in immersive and realistic military training solutions. A combination of live and synthetic threats was used throughout the exercise, including QinetiQ’s Banshee Whirlwind aerial drones and Hammerhead Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs). These targeted the ship alongside simulated threats such as cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and hostile aircraft, increasing the complexity and intensity of the attack scenario.

Conducted at MOD Aberporth, the training environment evaluated the ship’s full offensive and defensive operational capabilities from initial threat detection through to neutralization. Engagements were carried out during both daytime and overnight conditions to reflect real-world deployment scenarios.
During the exercise, HMS Duncan’s crew successfully met their objectives, tracking and neutralizing five aerial targets and sinking two Hammerhead surface vehicles.

Will Blamey, Chief Executive, UK Defence, QinetiQ, commented, “We are proud to deliver dynamic, real-life scenarios that best prepare our armed forces for the complex warfare challenges of today and tomorrow. Our combination of live and synthetic threats mean we can deliver training scenarios that provide the very latest in threat representation, helping our warfighters to achieve mission-readiness at pace.”

Commander Dan Lee, UK Royal Navy, added, “The realism of Sharpshooter, particularly the engagement of dynamic moving targets using operational procedures, gave my Ship’s Company the opportunity to prove they are ready to defend, ready to fight and ready to win. My team fully embraced the challenge and leave this exercise more confident, more capable and better prepared.”

QinetiQ provides testing and training support to the UK Armed Forces, designing and delivering exercises across land, air, maritime, and cyber domains.

In December, the Royal Netherlands Navy’s HNLMS Evertsen also participated in a QinetiQ-run exercise, helping strengthen training alignment across NATO members and improve collective readiness.