A German maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) airdropped supplies to the Dutch Navy frigate HLNMS Tromp at sea in the Gulf of Aden.
Both the ship and the plane are currently deployed to operation Atalanta and counter piracy activities off the coast of Somalia.
The purpose of the over flight was to enable the German aircrew to airdrop vital supplies into the sea close to HNLMS Tromp.
Airdrops out at sea do not need to happen too often as warships normally embark their much-needed equipment when they are alongside in port, so when the German Navy P-3 aircraft received the request from HNLMS Tromp, they knew that their delivery mission was important.
Once dropped, the floating supplies were picked up from the sea by sailors onboard one of the warship’s boats.
HNLMS Tromp is on patrol in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, working to deter and disrupt piracy off the Somali coastline. She works closely with Spanish and German MPRA detachments who provide valuable aerial imagery of the area of operations.