English: Royal Navy warship HMS Montrose flexes her warfighting muscle with the successful firing of a Harpoon missile - capable of destroying a target up to 80 miles away.

The anti-ship missile was fired at more than 800 mph into a specially-designed target barge in the Scottish exercise areas, obliterating it within minutes, and demonstrating the type of lethal power the warship wields.

The Royal Navy continually tests its personnel on exercises and training serials which are designed to build a world-class Service, and putting the weapons through their paces is part of ensuring their powerful capability.

Principal Warfare Officer Lieutenant Ben Evans said: “The intensity and stress of conducting complex warfare training increases tenfold when you know that there is almost a quarter of a tonne of warhead on the end of the live missile you are about to fire – but so is the satisfaction increased when you successfully achieve your goal.”

HMS Montrose, which is based at Devonport Naval Base, fired the Harpoon missile during a specialist training week following her participation in Exercise Joint Warrior – a huge multi-national exercise off the coast of Scotland.

Pictured by- PO(AET) Danny Swain 214 FLT, 815 NAS HMS Montrose

• Object Name: MQ130002038
• Organization: ROYAL NAVY
• Supplemental Categories: Equipment, Ships, Frigates, Type 23, Weapons, Missiles, Harpoon
• Keywords: Royal Navy, Equipment, Ship, Frigate, FFG, Type 23, Duke Class, HMS Montrose, Weapon, Missiles, Surface to Surface, Harpoon
• Country: UK