InsideRoyal Navyheadquarters, officials are scrambling to get HMS Dragon ready to deploy to theMediterranean. The arrival of this highly capable warship in the region to help protectCyprusand British bases will be warmly welcomed amid a diplomatic fallout, yet the question of why it’s taken so long has left many scratching their heads.
HMS Dragonis a £1billion Type 45 destroyer. It is one of the trump cards in the Navy’s surface fleet alongside two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. Six ships make up the Daring Class, considered to be among some of the world’s most advanced warships. Not only that, but they have a CV to back that up.
READ MORE:'Weak' Starmer blasted by former defence boss amid Trump fallout
READ MORE:UK nuclear submarine crews 'exhausted' as Navy slammed for ‘irrelevant’ gesture
The Daring Class is battle-hardened and has proved itself when it comes to dealing with threats like those HMS Dragon might have to face in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In recent years, sister ship HMS Diamond shot down nine drones and a ballistic missile fired by Iranian-backedHouthirebels as it protected merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
HMS Dragon, just like Diamond, is an air defence specialist.
ItsSea Viper missile systemcan target and destroy multiple targets simultaneously and can launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds, while guiding up to 16 simultaneously.
The ship’s SAMPSON radar is also state-of-the-art and can detect and track threats from more than 250 miles away.
This is a serious kit and will help form a shield around Cyprus.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
