“Royal Marines snipers shoot out engines to bring drug-runners’ boat to a halt” –Forces.Net

HMS Dauntless has a Wildcat helicopter and Royal Marines sniper team from 42 Commando who provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and aerial support (Picture: Royal Navy).

Looks like the Royal Navy now has their own “Airborne Use of Force” Team to do the same sorts of things the Coast Guard has been doing.

Forces.Net reports,

A Royal Marines sniper team has brought a Caribbean drug-runners’ power boat to a “juddering halt” after shooting out its engines.

US Coast Guard personnel, working alongside the sailors and marines on board Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless, were then able to seize £60m worth of cocaine, which the smugglers had been attempting to throw overboard.

Read on in the linked report. HMS Dauntless has been doing good work in cooperation with a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. HMS Dauntless is the second of six Type 45 Guided Missile Destroyers, roughly the Royal Navy counterpart of the Burke class DDGs and almost twice as large as the National Security Cutters.

HMS Dauntless (foreground) and HMS Daring. Photo: LA(Phot) Ian Simpson/MOD

Thanks to David for bring this to my attention.

1 thought on ““Royal Marines snipers shoot out engines to bring drug-runners’ boat to a halt” –Forces.Net

  1. David tells me, “It does seem that 42CO has had a = heliborne counter drug boat/sniper capability in the Caribbean for about ten years at least…….I saw references in 2015, 2016 and 18 using the same method.”

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