2023 Red Sea Crisis

Narwhal 20 mm remote-controlled turret in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis

A French frigate in Operation Aspides destroyed a threatening Houthi surface drone during the August 2024 Sounion rescue; Opex360 assessed that incident imagery indicated probable use of one of the ship's 20 mm Narwhal mounts.

Weapon profileNarwhal 20 mm remote-controlled turret
SideEuropean Union maritime forcesRoleForce Protection
Narwhal 20 mm remote-controlled turret, 20 mm naval remote weapon station, Naval Systems - 2023 Red Sea Crisis
Image source: Narwhal RCWS Packs More Punch with New Missile Capability | Naval News

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
An EUNAVFOR Aspides ship destroyed a threatening USV while approaching M/V Sounion during the August 2024 Red Sea Crisis rescue.

Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update, French destroyer rescues Sounion crew and destroys drone boat | AP News

Naval News, translating a French Joint Forces Command in the Indian Ocean release, described the responding ship as a French Horizon-type air-defense destroyer.

Sources: French Navy ship hits surface drone menacing a tanker in the Red Sea | Naval News

Opex360 assessed that the French frigate probably used one of its three 20 mm Narwhal mounts against the hostile surface drone.

Sources: Mer Rouge: une fregate francaise a detruit un drone de surface menacant le Sounion | Opex360

The public record supports one probable Narwhal engagement in this incident, but official EU and French releases reviewed here do not name the weapon mount.

Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update, French Navy ship hits surface drone menacing a tanker in the Red Sea | Naval News, Mer Rouge: une fregate francaise a detruit un drone de surface menacant le Sounion | Opex360

Timeline

Narwhal 20 mm remote-controlled turret In 2023 Red Sea Crisis

  1. Sounion disabled in the southern Red Sea

    EUNAVFOR Aspides reported that M/V Sounion was attacked in the southern Red Sea, lost engine power, and later requested assistance.

    Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update

  2. French ship destroys threatening USV during rescue

    An Aspides ship destroyed an unmanned surface vessel that threatened Sounion and its crew, then rescued the people aboard for transport to Djibouti.

    Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update, French destroyer rescues Sounion crew and destroys drone boat | AP News, French Navy ship hits surface drone menacing a tanker in the Red Sea | Naval News

  3. Incident imagery tied to probable Narwhal use

    Opex360 assessed that the French frigate, probably Chevalier Paul, likely used one of its 20 mm Narwhal remote-controlled guns to destroy the hostile surface drone.

    Sources: Mer Rouge: une fregate francaise a detruit un drone de surface menacant le Sounion | Opex360

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The documented Red Sea Crisis use case for Narwhal is the August 22, 2024 rescue of the tanker M/V Sounion. EUNAVFOR Aspides said one of its ships destroyed an unmanned surface vessel that posed an imminent threat to Sounion and its crew while approaching the incident area; Associated Press likewise reported that a French destroyer rescued 29 mariners and destroyed a bomb-carrying drone boat in the area.

Opex360 identified the French air-defense frigate involved as probably Chevalier Paul and assessed from incident imagery that the ship probably used one of its three 20 mm Narwhal remote-controlled guns to destroy the hostile surface drone. The public evidence therefore supports a probable Narwhal engagement tied to the Sounion rescue, not a broader count of Narwhal shots or kills in the Red Sea.

Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update, French destroyer rescues Sounion crew and destroys drone boat | AP News, Mer Rouge: une fregate francaise a detruit un drone de surface menacant le Sounion | Opex360

Timeline

Sounion was attacked in the southern Red Sea on August 21, 2024 and lost engine power. After a request from the master, EUNAVFOR Aspides dispatched a ship to rescue the crew.

On August 22, while approaching Sounion, the Aspides ship destroyed a threatening USV and then rescued everyone aboard for transport to Djibouti. Opex360's same-day report connected the incident imagery to probable Narwhal use by the French frigate.

Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update, French Navy ship hits surface drone menacing a tanker in the Red Sea | Naval News, Mer Rouge: une fregate francaise a detruit un drone de surface menacant le Sounion | Opex360

Operational role

Narwhal's role in this incident was ship self-defense and close protection of a disabled merchant tanker during Operation Aspides. The target was an unmanned surface vessel approaching Sounion during the rescue operation, and the operator was a French Navy surface combatant assigned to the European Union maritime-security mission.

Public official releases on the incident name the ship category and the destroyed USV but do not name the weapon mount. The weapon-specific link rests on Opex360's reading of the imagery and Chevalier Paul identification, so this usage record treats the engagement as probable Narwhal use rather than an officially confirmed mount-level attribution.

Sources: EUNAVFOR Aspides Sounion Update, French Navy ship hits surface drone menacing a tanker in the Red Sea | Naval News, Mer Rouge: une fregate francaise a detruit un drone de surface menacant le Sounion | Opex360

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Sources