Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon prepares to 'go to war' with French in huge drill at sea
A BILLION-pound warship from Portsmouth is gearing up for a high-octane series of battle drills with the French Navy.
Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon will be joining France’s biggest naval exercise of the year this week.
The two-week workout will involve 26 warships, support vessels and submarines from half-a-dozen navies.
Known as Exercise Polaris 21, the war game is designed to test the French fleet and its ability to work side-by-side with Nato allies.
The exercise will be the third time in a matter of weeks that Dragon has operated with the French, with the first having seen the ship tested by French ‘attacks’ off the coast of Brittany, followed by support vessel FS Garonne testing her towing abilities by practising hauling assault ship HMS Albion.
The Polaris drill focuses on naval air-warfare, working on every aspect of combat at sea - from dealing with submarines, mines and cyber threats, to amphibious landings, and tackling aerial threats like drones and jets.
More than 8,000 personnel are involved in the war game, which is split between the Atlantic and Mediterranean.