The United Kingdom is deploying the air-defense destroyer HMS Dragon to the Middle East for possible participation in an international mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to BBC, citing representatives of the UK Ministry of Defence, the deployment involves the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon, equipped with the Sea Viper air-defense system designed to intercept missiles and drones.
The ship had previously operated in the eastern Mediterranean but is now being moved closer to the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK Ministry of Defence said the deployment is “part of contingency planning” for a possible multinational operation under joint British and French leadership.
The mission is intended to ensure the safety of commercial shipping following escalating tensions surrounding Iran.
Previously, the ship had been stationed near Cyprus, where it provided air defense for the island, including RAF Akrotiri airbase, where Britain has concentrated its main regional air assets, consisting of F-35B and Typhoon fighter jets.
Militarnyi previously reported that the French carrier strike group led by the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle crossed the Suez Canal on May 6.
The deployment is taking place as part of a multinational mission involving more than forty countries, developed jointly with British and regional partners. The mission is aimed at helping restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
HMS Dragon
The destroyer is a guided-missile warship designed to intercept aerial threats.
The core of its combat capability is the Sea Viper air-defense missile system, which integrates radar operations with Sylver A50 vertical launch systems.
The ship uses Aster 15 missiles to intercept targets at short ranges of up to 30 kilometers and Aster 30 missiles for area defense at distances of up to 120 kilometers. These missiles are capable of destroying not only aircraft, but also maneuvering cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles.
High targeting accuracy is provided by the SAMPSON multifunction radar with an active electronically scanned array, capable of simultaneously tracking hundreds of aerial targets.
It is also equipped with the S1850M long-range radar, capable of monitoring airspace at distances of up to 400 kilometers and tracking as many as 1,000 targets simultaneously. This combination of systems allows the destroyer to act as the central air-defense command ship for an entire carrier strike group.
For close-range defense, the destroyer is equipped with a 114 mm Mk 8 naval gun, two 30 mm automatic cannons, and Phalanx CIWS close-in weapon systems. The ship’s air wing typically consists of either a Wildcat or Merlin helicopter, which can be armed with anti-ship missiles or torpedoes.
