In the most recent of a series of challenges to the European air defence mission in the Mediterranean, the Belgian Navy, according to a Belgian defence press service, had to suspend the deployment of the frigate Louise-Marie “for the time being”
The Belgian Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the warship has been grounded, but has declined to comment on the details, citing operational security reasons.
The Louise-Marie is currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea in preparation for a deployment as part of Operation Aspides, the EU-led component of the EU police mission in the Red Sea. According to naval news site Marineschepen.nl, the frigate’s crew was conducting air defence exercises last week (with the country’s top defence official on board) when the ship suffered a mishap. One of its RIM-7 short-range anti-aircraft missiles failed to fire and got stuck in its tube. The backup air defence systems also failed to shoot down the incoming threat, according to the news agency.
Maritime Executive
