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Royal Navy’s small patrol boats prove their growing value as NATO deployment ends
3 July 2025
Some of the smallest vessels in the Royal Navy’s inventory have proven their value – and demonstrated there’s much more to be squeezed out of them – in NATO’s main Baltic exercise.
Six P2000 fast patrol boats from the Portsmouth-based Coastal Forces Squadron have been the Royal Navy’s contribution to the annual workout of the alliance’s forces either along the Baltic coastline or dedicated to the region’s security.
The boats are returning to Portsmouth, Plymouth, Faslane and the Tyne, closing their deployment by attending the Kiel Week maritime festival.
His Majesty’s Ships Archer, Biter, Dasher, Example, Pursuer and Smiter have been working with drone tech on and beneath the waves, integrating with much larger vessels to help develop NATO’s tactics for carrying out/fending off swarm attacks, and demonstrating the potential of the P2000 class as temporary minehunters.
The Royal Navy’s Mine Threat and Exploitation Group brought their latest small, portable autonomous mine warfare detection system, Video Ray Defender, which proved both its effectiveness – quickly locating a practice mine – and the concept of operating the kit from the confines of such a small warship.
The small fast craft have become regular fixtures in the past couple of years at exercises in Norway and the Baltic, using their speed and agility to test the reflexes and targeting skills of larger warships and helicopter crews.
That role featured again in Baltops 25, but with the added ‘threat’ of working side-by-side with US Navy surface drones to conduct concerted, simultaneous attacks on vessels.
In addition, thanks to NATO’s communications systems installed on the vessels for the first time, it meant they were of a far greater use for missions as varied as reconnaissance of ‘hostile’ shipping to planning attacks by exploiting open-source intelligence to targeting ‘enemy’ vessels and carrying out the first-ever replenishment of a submarine by a P2000 – even if it was only an ‘emergency’ coffee supply.
“It has been a brilliant experience to deploy on HMS Pursuer and learn about P2000s’ littoral operations – not something that I’m used to,” said warfare specialist Able Seaman Matthew Bell.
It has been a brilliant experience to deploy on HMS Pursuer and learn about P2000s’ littoral operations – not something that I’m used to.
“It has also allowed me to develop new skills in seamanship, and build on what I was taught in basic training. I learnt a lot about our NATO partners and how they operate, and enjoyed some great runs ashore, especially Kiel and Copenhagen.”
The craft took their place in a photoshoot involving more than 30 warships and ashore crews joined in sporting contests and sampled the region’s culture and frequently-bloody history, notably in Gdańsk, where the first shots of WW2 were fired.
All the boats have served for more than 35 years but their plastic hulls mean the equipment within can be replaced and updated when required.
Over the past decade they’ve swapped their traditional university cadet mission for a more front-line operational role – reflected by the re-naming of their parent unit to Coastal Forces Squadron, a nod to WW2 exploits in particular.
“The Coastal Forces Squadron has had a highly successful Baltops 25,” said Commanding Officer Commander Carla Higgins.
“We’re not only proven our utility as the Royal Navy’s inshore maritime security squadron, but also our flexibility and usefulness for the future, introducing new equipment and techniques, a force able to embark specialist teams from the UK and our allies which can have an impact at sea and ashore.”
The six boats spent the weekend berthed together Gneisenaubrücke (Gneisenau jetty) in the naval base at Wik in Kiel’s northern suburbs, representing the Royal Navy at city’s legendary maritime festival.
After a quick visit to Hamburg, the patrol craft are making for their home ports.