UK Royal Marines Test BvS10 Viking Amphibious Landings in Norway Across Arctic and Baltic.

British Royal Marines conducted amphibious drills in Norway, deploying Viking BvS10 all-terrain vehicles as part of Exercise Tarassis, a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) series running from the Arctic to the Baltic. The training underscores allied readiness and logistics in Northern Europe as thousands of personnel, ships, and aircraft rehearse rapid reinforcement across a dispersed coastline.

UK Royal Marines from the Commando Logistic Regiment’s Armoured Support Group deployed their Viking BVS10 vehicles from the well deck of RFA Lyme Bay onto Norwegian beaches for a series of practical drills. The activity forms part of Exercise Tarassis, a Joint Expeditionary Force sequence running over several weeks from the Arctic Circle to the Baltic. The United Kingdom acts as the framework nation and the Standing Joint Force Headquarters near London directs the movements, consistent with the JEF’s role as a regional instrument that complements NATO deterrence and assurance. What stands out is scale and dispersion. From early September to late October, thousands of personnel, ships, and aircraft train to project and sustain power along a demanding coastline.
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The BvS10 Viking, an articulated amphibious vehicle on rubber tracks, provides mobility for the beach group (Picture source: UK MoD)

The BvS10 Viking, an articulated amphibious vehicle on rubber tracks, provides mobility for the beach group. In British service, it typically mounts a 7.62 mm GPMG on a ring mount, with options for a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The two linked hulls distribute weight and reduce ground pressure. This allows the vehicle to exit a landing craft, cross soft sand, and climb dunes without trenching. It swims at low speed, sufficient for sheltered ship-to-shore moves, and on roads it can keep pace with a column. The emphasis is on access, reliability, and the ability to reach areas where wheeled platforms bog down.

Technically, the BVS10 family offers multiple configurations. The troop carrier moves a driver, vehicle commander and a section under armor. Other variants function as command posts with additional radios, mortar carriers for 81 mm support, or recovery vehicles to free immobilized equipment. A turbo-diesel engine with automatic transmission prioritizes torque, while articulated steering between the two cars allows tight turns on mountain roads and controlled pivots on snow. The amphibious envelope is straightforward yet dependable. If the landing craft beaches correctly, Vikings cover the last meters without difficulty. This practicality explains their regular use in Norway during winter and in the UK during summer rehearsals with partners.

At sea, RFA Lyme Bay is a landing ship dock with a large floodable well, a broad flight deck and stowage to carry either heavy armored vehicles or a substantial load of lighter vehicles and pallets. She can launch a full-size LCU Mk10 or two smaller craft from the dock and work with Mexeflote rafts when surf conditions complicate approaches. Headline figures indicate capacity for around 356 embarked troops in standard conditions, a transit speed near 18 knots, and extensive vehicle lanes, but the key effect is tempo. The ship pushes Vikings ashore early, then maintains the flow of fuel, ammunition and spares for as long as the task group remains on station.

Operationally, Tarassis assembles these tactical elements into a wider framework. The schedule includes maritime activity in the Baltic, air missions in Finland, land deployments in Latvia, and an Arctic amphibious phase centered on UK Norwegian cooperation. Canadian participation highlights transatlantic depth. The dates matter. Early September brings changing conditions in the High North, while late October narrows options in the Baltic, forcing units to validate cold-weather procedures, energy discipline, and resilient communications. With the UK as coordinator, SJFHQ remains central to planning and messaging, demonstrating that the JEF can act under its regional flag while aligning with NATO activities.

The JEF’s area of interest extends from the North Atlantic to the Baltic Sea. Undersea infrastructure, narrow sea lanes, long coastlines and constrained maneuver corridors impose short reaction times. Tarassis therefore serves as a rehearsal for potential friction points. The message to Scandinavian and Baltic partners is practical. Reinforcement is prepared and exercised. For the UK, showing that amphibious logistics and littoral forces can move at short notice supports credibility in northern Europe. For the group, the value lies in interoperability under time pressure. The practical checks are straightforward. The ship’s speed. The Viking sequence across the beach. Radio networks. In Norway, at the scale of these landings, the fundamentals are being tested in an appropriate environment and season.