US and UK test SM-6 against decommissioned frigate

UA.NEWS29
September
2026
01:08

In the North Atlantic, the US Navy, together with the UK’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, conducted the Atlantic Thunder 2026 exercise, during which several types of weapons were used against the decommissioned guided-missile frigate Klakring. The ship-sinking exercises involving the target vessel, known as SINKEX, lasted from September 14 to 25.

As Breaking Defense reports, the US destroyer USS Paul Ignatius launched an SM-6 missile, testing its ability to strike surface targets at the maximum possible range. Captain Kelechi Ndukwe, commander of Task Force 65 of the US 6th Fleet, did not disclose the exact launch range.

Missiles and torpedo

The exercise also used the new Sea Venom missile, launched by a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter. The British fleet also used the Naval Strike Missile. The final strike on Klakring was delivered by the Virginia-class submarine USS Massachusetts, which fired an Mk 48 Advanced Capability Torpedo.

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According to Ndukwe, the exercise initially used the longest-range munitions, including the SM-6, before moving on to weapons intended for shorter distances.

Collecting data from the target ship

Before the exercise, specialists from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock and the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific installed sensors on Klakring to collect exercise data. The information from them will be analyzed over the coming months, including data on strike zones and technical aspects of the tests.

In addition to ships and the submarine, the maneuvers involved the British frigate HMS Portland, US Navy and UK Royal Air Force P-8 patrol aircraft, as well as US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft.