The US Navy’s Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E Williams (DDG 95) has launched two standard missiles-2 (SM-2) during surface warfare advanced tactical training (SWATT).
The missiles were launched at the first series of aerial targets launched from Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia during a missile exercise (MSLEX) as part of SWATT.
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Led by the Surface and Mine Warfare Development Center (SMWDC), SWATT involved James E Williams and other surface vessels assigned to Carrier Strike Group 10.
The exercise was held in the Atlantic Ocean and is intended to maintain readiness, proficiency and lethality of participating units.
USS James E Williams executive officer commander Christopher Norris said: “SWATT is a total-ship evolution, which requires the seamless integration of all ship functions.
“We prepare for this event by training the crew through a myriad of drills and scenarios, writing and revising our warfighting doctrines and challenging our own assumptions in an effort to build not just sailors who can fight the ship, but sailors who can also rapidly apply critical thinking to combat an ever-changing adversary.”
SMWDC senior mentor commander Jason Tumlinson stated that the training event helps in integrating the functions of both the ship and the strike group.
Tumlinson said: “MSLEX scenarios ensure that systems and weapons function as designed, contributing to lethality and proficiency needed for deployment.
“SWATT is the bridge that enables ships to successfully transition from the basic phase of training to the integrated phase, in which multiple units operate together in complex scenarios like MSLEX.”
During the missile exercise, four ships fired supersonic and subsonic missiles at aerial targets.
SWATT provided the platform to support the ‘Live, Virtual, and Constructive’ fleet training concept.
The event also delivered live training in a real environment with live missiles and targets.
