The UK is deploying the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon and Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters to the Eastern Mediterranean, bolstering air defence and counter-drone capability.
The Ministry of Defence said HMS Dragon will sail to help defend British interests and support the collective self-defence of allies. The destroyer is equipped with the Sea Viper air defence system, capable of launching multiple missiles in rapid succession and guiding several simultaneously. Type 45 destroyers have previously intercepted hostile threats on operations, including a missile engagement in 2024.
The deployment follows a series of defensive actions by UK forces over the past 24 hours. RAF F-35B jets shot down drones over Jordan, marking the first time an RAF F-35 has destroyed a target on operations. The mission was supported by Typhoon jets and a Voyager tanker aircraft.
Elsewhere, a British counter-drone unit neutralised drones in Iraqi airspace heading towards Coalition forces. An RAF Typhoon operating with the joint UK-Qatar 12 Squadron also shot down an Iranian one-way attack drone directed at Qatar using an air-to-air missile.
In addition to HMS Dragon, two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet missiles are deploying to the region. The helicopters are designed to detect and defeat aerial threats, adding a further layer to the UK’s counter-drone capability.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK was acting swiftly to reinforce its presence.
“We are moving quickly to further reinforce our defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
“HMS Dragon brings world-class air defence capability, and our Wildcat helicopters are armed with Martlet missiles to counter the growing drone threat.”
“I am deeply proud of the professionalism and bravery of our Armed Forces personnel who have in recent days, successfully taken action across the region to protect our allies and defend British interests.”
The Ministry of Defence said the deployments are focused on protecting British personnel and interests, while contributing to wider regional stability.
Surely a type 45 should have been forward deployed to Gib a week ago in a just in case scenario?I would have thought it obvious that our bases on Cyprus could well be targeted
I suspect nobody thought trump would kick off gulf war 3 without any warning or plan.
Not even the US State Department got any warning as they hadn’t evacuated embassy staff from the region. 🤦🏻♂️
With the military build up over the last few weeks, it will have been the worst kept secret military action was on the cards.
If every military build-up was perceived as inevitable military action then the Soviets would have launched a pre-emptive attack in 1983 as forces assembled for Able Archer.
Moving military forces to an area is to ‘encourage’ the other side to be more flexible in negotiations. When Britain used to did it it was known as Gunboat Diplomacy.
I would find it incredibly hard to believe. Considering the very close relations between our government’s, military and intelligent services. That we didn’t know this was going to happen.
Do tell how people will now what a dementia-addled President is going to decide on a whim at any given moment.
Military operations like this are months in the planning.
Planned for months to be ready by a specific date.
And then Trump chose to begin it in on a whim.
Most probably. But we would still have known in advance and could have been better prepared. They’ve moved forces to the middle east, we could have done the same for defensive purposes. We sent the F35s a while back, T45 shouldn’t have been far behind. It’s always easier to de-escalate if not needed, then play chat up.
Starmer initially denied the use of Diego Garcia for US strikes on the 19th of last month, didn’t he? He had to have been aware something was imminent.
Starmer was asked in the scenario of an attack being made, just like Spain turned the USA down too. Advance notice is required so the planners can get on and do their thing.
Doesn’t mean something IS going to happen.
Don’t disagree with you though if the US planned strikes in 3 or 4 months they would already be asking for that permission (at least professionals with a plan would), even no nothing dimwits like Trump and Hegseth wouldn’t by choice leave it till the last minute. Trouble is as the totally contradictory excuses for the attacks from Trump, Vance and Rubio within hours of each other demonstrate they barely know what they are doing day to day so even more difficult for others to guess what side of the bed Trump wakes up on. Doubt even Melania knows from down the hall. That said mind I am somewhat amazed that a T-45 wasn’t allocated in anticipation. Maybe an indicator of just how few actually available we have. Let’s hope Putin sends us a memo before he makes a move.
American movements into the region were thought to be applying pressure, even the US did know it was going to start when it did during day time on a Saturday.
Trump is just winging it as per usual
I’m going to say that the moment a they asked for Diego Garcia, a forward deployment should have been conducted. With another ship, frigate or destroyer, readied in port as quietly and promptly as possible. Then you could have one at Cyprus and another to rotate it out for reload of Sylver VLS and in case the Iranians or Houthis also started going for Egypt to harm the Suez economy in addition.
This issue developing seems to be that no one including the Americans knew they were going to start this war when they did. Everything kicked off early because the Israelis got intel about the meeting and Donald Trump decided to assasinate the head of state of another country.
It’s hard for HMG to plan around that when I was told nothing was likely to happen.
MoD not gifted with 2nd sight
Good to see the deployments finally happening, but this highlights that the government’s pre-emptive measures weren’t enough. Also, non-essential staff and families should have been moved before an attack, not after. Luckily, no one was hurt or killed this time. This government always seems to be behind the curve, and we are looking a bit silly to our allies and the world.
Even the Americans didn’t have time to evacuate families, Trump gave no prior notification to anyone.
I think an a belated apology to the Japanese is called for. Infamy is clearly catching.
At least the Japanese formally declared war. Trump didn’t, because that would have required permission from Congress due to that pesky Constitution…
Yes shows that even the US didn’t know,
I’m talking about the weeks building up to this, not the hours before. The UK has contingency plans at overseas bases like RAF Akrotiri to move non-essential personnel and families to safety, yet they weren’t activated until after the attack. Obviously, this would get families out of harm’s way, but it also allows serving personnel to do their jobs without worrying about their families.
Any news on defence investment plan or is it still in slow motion? Where are the immediate orders for more GBAD, more FJ airframes?
No DIP any time soon and forget about more airframes or anything else beyond what we already know. The DIP will be an exercise in licking the can down the round thanks to the Treasury refusing to accelerate spending.
Lol, kicking
👍 sadly with the clowns we have in charge it doesn’t surprise me! Maybe a senior has to resign to call out the shambles.
Indeed and the new prospective inflation over oil is hardly going to help. I think the last review is already out of date.
I’m not licking your DIP you can cut that right out.
😂
be cheaper to deply not much good low on ammo sky sabre and two used Gepards on the air field, than billion pound ship with very expensice missilea that will take a week to get there. What sick joke our under armed forces are, its embrassing
Could you try English please?…
We don’t even have gepards
Oh I know that, last GUN for GBAD was retired in 80’s, My point was why send a £ billion pound ship with limited ammo or we could re equipt with Guns like most NATO has, And added to that an AWAC’s aircraft would have been helpful but we have none of them either. Fact is we can not defend an RAF base. There are no hardend hangers there and no perminant GBAD,
🤣
I guess Dragon is reasonably equipped to deal with Iranian ballistic missiles or those used by Hezbollah while it can deploy Wildcats with Martlet flexibly to take out drones so not quite so pointless. But bad reflection on the base’s lack of defences I agree.
That is my real point, we seem to have nothing and are getting more of nothing its not good look around the world is it. We as an nation seem incompedent and uses less, and no sign of any improvement. Stubbling from shambles to shambles on the world stage un able to defend a simple base from Prop drones.
Sending the ship is a good move, it is the most potent AD asset we have.
But, yes, we really should have a menu of options ranging from –
CUAS via Jamming – Yes, ORCUS, probably too few.
CUAS via kinetic action. – Yes, Rapid Sentry, but numbers are probably miniscule ( classified how many. ) There are also LMM teams forward in Iraq.
AA Cannon type GBAD, No, a major gap in our capabilities.
Missile GBAD. – Yes, but numbers are low for both SHORAD and MRAD, and any used are diverted from their main role. If there was a war, what do we do, choose? More needed, lots more.
BM defence, can Sea Viper do to some degree? I’m unsure?
AWACS would be helpful, yes, but in Cyprus case, there is a bloody big radar already up in the skies atop a mountain.
We can defend RAF Akrotiri, we just need to get our arses in gear with what we have, gaps and all.
No, nowhere has permanent GBAD save Mount Pleasant, another big capability gap.
HAS, yes, none at Akrotiri, which I find shocking given they have been around since the 70s, and that many at RAF Stations were paid for by NATO. Is Akrotiri not a NATO base? It should have them.
The Wildcats, all two of them, can carry many Martlet, another useful capability.
Add 12 Typhoon and 6 F35B on the station, we do have kit there Martin, but yes, some shocking gaps.
Intelligence of what is incoming will not be a problem either with Troodos Elint /Spacol / Proforma mission and Ay Niks OTHR and other ablilities.
Are we not sending expensive kit do a job some thing much cheaper could co better, misiles are costy. Gun rounds are many times cheaper, we have spent money on fancy kit then have to use to distrory basic prop powered drones is a massive waste of money, and we like every one have limited misiles.
In the age of drones no gun GBAD is a big error, one that no one in the MOD admits to, seems to want to address. Yet again just another gap in equipment hushed up or just ignored.
Hang on, I got it, 2030’s some time ?
Puzzling why Dragon is preferred over Duncan because the former is currently undergoing maintenance whilst the later was reported as being ready to go. More experienced crew? Fewer defects? Full load of missiles? CMS software upgrades? But it will take a frantic 3 to 5 days to get her ready for ops and another 7 or 8 days to sail to Cyprus at 18 kts. I can only assume that the government is hoping its all over by then.
I think she’s just finished her maintenance, so she won’t be far off ready.
Unlikely to be over within the next 7 days.
Given the current rate, Iran has probably only fired 20% of its ballistic missiles. Of course missiles stocks will also have been depleted by air-strikes on depots/launchers. But their stocks of drones dwarf their missile stocks…
Sounds like our Defence Policy more generally doesn’t it.
Yes,a strange announcement seeing as Duncan has been active these last few days.Dragon has been rushed out of Dock today and is Loading up Stores and Munitions,i did think initially that our PM had got the names muddled up,but looks like Dragon it is.
I made the point on here the other day, saying wouldn’t it be good to have a Type45 stationed off RAF Akrotiri. Sadly, the UK Government can’t always get it right….mind, this lot can’t even tell us when the DIP will be published. ‘We are working at pace,’ Says Starmer, but he’s been saying that since October. Even today’s budget statement is basically devoid of Defence detail, so much for urgency in wartime.
Interesting response that is going on geopolitically around the First 4 days..
1) the Donald Trump has just essentially started a trade war with Spain because it would not let it use its bases..
2) Trump stated if they don’t let us use the bases we will use them anyway because there is nothing they can do to stop us.
3) Trump says the UK is on his shit list.. but Germany and France are great
4) Cyprus now wants to renegotiate the use of the UK sovereign bases.. and wants them declared as essentially none offensive bases..
5) some republicans are now saying the US should take Greenland because European nations are unreliable.
It’s all a bit weird to be honest.
I have a feeling things are not going Trump way ( ie Iran gives up in two days or there a revolution) and now he is find out there going to be problems. ie gas prices, upset gulf states and he is lashing out as it is never his fault
Surely a perfect opportunity to deploy the “direct energy” laser that was mounted on the MAN HX60 for real time live trials
Why don’t we just deploy some SAM and AAA batteries to Cyprus? Oh! We don’t have any! 😂. Has anyone told the glorious HMG that Prior Planning Presents P*** Poor Performance.
‘Presents’ is ‘Prevents’. Spell checker! lol.
A good development, probably because France is deploying so we must be seen to do likewise as the major power that we are….
Thought provoking speech by Marco Rubio in which he stated that the US felt they had to launch their assault to hit Iranian missile sites capable of retaliating against their ME bases when they found out that the Israelis were going to launch a pre-emptive strike against their chosen targets – the Ayatolla? i.e. Israel kicked things off with virtually no notice.
I know to a point trump took everyone by surprise by his timing but it was clear there was a high chance he was going to attack. Cyprus was always going to be a target, and so don’t get why the destroyer wasn’t already there. Very poor planning