Operation Prosperity Guardian - Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb narrows and Gulf of Aden

[Pelican]

Missile mishaps, ammo snags – report details Danish frigate deployment

MILAN — New information has come to light about the state of the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt when it departed for the Red Sea in January, including crew concerns about inexperienced personnel on board and equipment not fully tested, according to a report released by the Danish government.

The Danish Defense Ministry announced on March 26 that the warship was sailing home after completing its mission in the Red Sea as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, during which it succeeded at downing four drones earlier that month.

Days later, reports emerged that the vessel had encountered problems related to weapons and mission systems which prevented the firing of surface-to-air missiles against the incoming aerial threats for roughly half an hour.

“The crew of Iver Huitfeldt experienced challenges in conducting engagement with the frigate’s missile system as well as a high failure rate of 76mm artillery shells during the engagement of drones on March 9,” an unclassified version of the deployment review found.

The 13-page document states that trouble began in the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile launcher system, where an unknown error condition occurred after the firing of the first missile, which affected the ESSM second launcher, rendering them unable to engage for 30 minutes.

Following this, the crew was found to have “inadvertently” triggered an additional error in the ship’s command and control system, further affecting the missile engagement. During its incapacity, the frigate was placed under protective radar coverage from an American warship and eventually relocated to a lower threat area north of the Red Sea.

“The complete launcher system has therefore been taken ashore after Iver Huitfeldt’s return to Denmark, where analysis is continuing in collaboration with the supplier,” the report said.

The ESSM weapons are made by a multinational industry consortium led by RTX’s Raytheon. More than a dozen navies around the world have the missiles in their inventories.

Contrary to initial claims made by some Danish media, the investigation concluded that there is no indication of deficiencies with the ship’s active phased array radar, made by Thales Netherlands.

Regarding artillery malfunctions, the crew reported that those were primarily caused by the early burst of shells close to the ship or failing to hit the target. The frigate’s captain estimated that around 50% of the munitions used during the March 9 drone operation detonated early.

The shells fired by the Iver Huitfeldt were from production batches made between 1989 and 1992, which investigators said had previously not encountered such problems in test firings.

While the country’s Defense Command maintains it did not receive any reports of operational concerns prior to the frigate deployment, a few details provided in the report appear to contradict this.

The document notes that when the frigate underwent the British Fleet Operational Sea Training course, in December 2023, in at least two instances the crew faced challenges with data flow between the ship’s command-and-control system and the radar and fire-control system.

Additionally, a day after leaving Denmark, the vessel’s commander shared in an assessment that the personnel situation remained “fragile due to inexperience in new crew members,” and that regarding the state of the equipment a “few concerns persisted, but appeared manageable.”

These concerns were in reference to the installation of one of the ship’s guns and counter-drone system, which remained to be finalized and tested.

In one of the concluding sections, the report further states that prior to March 9, the Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organisation had knowledge of an existing “software weakness” in the interface between the ships’ radar and fire control system.

“It could cause the system to lock if a certain operator behavior was detected, and this knowledge has probably to some extent been present in the naval command,” it said.

[Pelican]

U.S. Central Command

USCENTCOM Commander Visits Egypt

TAMPA, Fla. – Between May 6 and 7, 2024, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of United States Central Command, visited Egypt to gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives of Egyptian military leaders on regional security and the status of humanitarian aid.

While in Cairo, Gen. Kurilla held meetings with Gen. Mohamed Zaki, the Minister of Defense and Military Production, and Lt. Gen. Osama Askar, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. The leaders focused their discussions on regional security concerns in Gaza and the Red Sea, alleviating humanitarian suffering in Gaza, and the need to reestablish stability following the current regional conflicts.

“Egypt plays a critical role in regional security and has been instrumental in enabling humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza,” said Gen. Kurilla. “Meetings like today’s are crucial to building a deeper understanding of the regional challenges and maintaining the relationships necessary to improve security.”

[Pelican]

EUNAVFOR ASPIDES
EUNAVFOR ASPIDES: 100 close protections.
In less than 3 months since its official launch, Operation ASPIDES completed 100 CP, providing safe transit of merchant vessels.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1788597163435360334

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout
USS Carney returned home to a well-deserved welcome at Naval Station Norfolk yesterday after 7-months in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.
During this deployment she destroyed 45 Houthi drones and missiles - arguably now the world's most battle-hardened surface combatant.

[Pelican]

U.S. Central Command

May 11 CENTCOM Update

TAMPA, Fla. – At approximately 8:45 p.m.(Sanaa time) on May 10, Iranian-backed Houthis launched an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) over the Gulf of Aden from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. A coalition aircraft successfully engaged the UAS. There were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

Later, between approximately 4:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. (Sanaa time) on May 11, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed three UAS launched by Iranian-backed Houthis over the Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. There were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

It was determined that these UAS presented an imminent threat to both coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.

[Pelican]

U.S. Central Command

May 12 CENTCOM Update

At approximately 3:30 a.m.(Sanaa time) on May 12, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launched by Iranian-backed Houthis over the Gulf of Aden from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. There were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

It was determined the UAS presented an imminent threat to both coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.

[Pelican]

U.S. Central Command

May 13 Red Sea Update

At approximately 3:41 p.m. (Sanaa time) on May 13, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) in an Iranian-backed Houthi controlled area of Yemen.

Later, between approximately 5:51 p.m. and 6:02 p.m.(Sanaa time), USS Mason (DDG 87) successfully engaged and destroyed one inbound anti-ship ballistic missile launched by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen over the Red Sea. Additionally, USCENTCOM forces destroyed one UAS launched by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

[Pelican]

U.S. Central Command

May 15 CENTCOM Update

At approximately 9 p.m. (Sanaa time) on May 14, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed four uncrewed aerial system (UAS) in an Iranian-backed Houthi controlled area of Yemen.

[Pelican]

U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler Sports Mysterious Mi-24 Kill Mark

The kill mark can be seen in a recent photo of an EA-18G assigned to VAQ-130, currently deployed in the Red Sea aboard the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier. The Navy, however, has never disclosed any aerial kill of the Growler and the Houthi’s access to Hind helicopters is unconfirmed.

https://theaviationist.com/2024/05/16/e ... kill-mark/

[Pelican]

U.S. Central Command

Houthis strike M/T Wind in Red Sea

At approximately 1 a.m. (Sanaa time) May 18, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) into the Red Sea and struck M/T Wind, a Panamanian-flagged, Greek owned and operated oil tanker.

M/T Wind most recently docked in Russia and was bound for China. The impact of the ASBM caused flooding which resulted in the of loss propulsion and steering. A coalition vessel immediately responded to the distress call by M/T Wind, but no assistance was needed. The crew of M/T Wind was able to restore propulsion and steering, and no casualties were reported. M/T Wind resumed its course under its own power.

This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.