NATO ASW drill Dynamic Manta kicks off in Italy

NATO’s major Mediterranean Sea anti-submarine warfare exercise Dynamic Manta is getting underway at the Italian port of Catania on Monday, March 5.

The two-week drill will take place in the Ionian Sea and will be joined by navies from 10 allied countries.

Dynamic Manta is an annual NATO exercise in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at providing complex and challenging scenarios for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare skills development.

Last year’s edition of the exercise saw the participation of nine submarines, 10 surface ships and nine maritime patrol aircraft.

Submarines so far confirmed to be taking part in Dynamic Manta 2018 include Royal Canadian Navy submarine HMCS Windsor, Hellenic Navy submarine HS Matrozos, Turkish submarine TCG Preveze and Spanish Navy’s ESPS Mistral.

According to a NATO infographic, the exercise will host ten nations, six submarines and nine surface ships for the evolutions.