A Royal Navy destroyer has entered the Mediterranean Sea, approaching Gibraltar as it continues its deployment towards the Eastern Mediterranean.
HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air defence destroyer, was sighted near the Strait of Gibraltar this morning as it transited from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean. The Portsmouth-based warship is en route to waters off Cyprus, where it is expected to bosot UK defensive capabilities in the region.
The vessel departed the United Kingdom on 10 March following a rapid period of preparation, with work that would normally take several weeks completed in a matter of days. Its deployment comes as the UK seeks to reinforce protection for British personnel and infrastructure, including RAF Akrotiri, which has faced recent drone threats.
As a Type 45 destroyer, HMS Dragon is designed primarily for air defence and is equipped with the Sea Viper missile system, capable of countering aircraft, missiles and drones over a wide area. The ship can also operate a Wildcat helicopter armed with Martlet missiles, extending its reach against aerial and surface threats.
The UK recently expanded its military presence on Cyprus at RAF Akrotiri with additional aircraft, helicopters and surveillance assets.
RAF Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets have continued conducting defensive air operations across Jordan, Qatar, Cyprus and the wider region in support of British interests and allied forces. The Ministry of Defence also confirmed that a Merlin helicopter is being deployed to the region to provide additional airborne surveillance capability.
HMS Dragon
HMS Dragon is a Type 45 Daring-class air-defence destroyer of the Royal Navy. Built by BAE Systems on the River Clyde, the ship was launched in 2008 and commissioned in 2012. She is one of six vessels in the class designed to provide area air defence for naval task groups, replacing the Type 42 destroyers. The ship is based at Portsmouth and typically operates with a complement of around 190 to 200 personnel.
The principal capability of HMS Dragon is advanced air and missile defence, delivered through the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), known in Royal Navy service as Sea Viper. The ship is equipped with 48 Sylver A50 vertical launch cells capable of firing Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, with engagement ranges of approximately 1.7 to 30 kilometres and 3 to 120 kilometres respectively. The system enables the detection, tracking and engagement of multiple aerial threats simultaneously. Future upgrades under the Sea Viper Evolution programme are intended to introduce a ballistic missile defence capability. Plans across the class also include the integration of Sea Ceptor, which would replace Aster 15 and allow the full missile silo capacity to be dedicated to longer-range Aster 30 interceptors.
In addition to its primary air-defence role, HMS Dragon carries a range of weapon systems for surface and close-in engagements. These include a 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun, two DS30B 30 mm guns, and two Phalanx close-in weapon systems for point defence against incoming threats. The ship also carries heavy and general-purpose machine guns for force protection tasks. Anti-ship capability was originally provided by Harpoon Block 1C missiles, which were withdrawn from service in 2023, with a planned transition to the Naval Strike Missile in due course.
The ship has an embarked aviation capability supported by a large flight deck and enclosed hangar. HMS Dragon can operate one or two Wildcat helicopters, which may be equipped with Martlet lightweight multirole missiles, Sea Venom anti-ship missiles, or anti-submarine torpedoes. Alternatively, the ship can deploy a Merlin helicopter configured primarily for anti-submarine warfare, typically armed with up to four torpedoes. This aviation component extends the ship’s surveillance, strike and undersea warfare reach beyond the capabilities of its onboard systems.
HMS Dragon has participated in a range of exercises and operations since entering service, including NATO deployments and multinational exercises focused on integrated air and missile defence. Type 45 destroyers have demonstrated their effectiveness in live-fire scenarios, including engagements against high-speed targets during exercises such as Formidable Shield, validating the performance of the Sea Viper system under operational conditions.
Its a pity that this excellent effort by the RN has been accompanied by so much negative press.
However for reasons beyond their control i think Iran 2026 will be looked on as the historic low point for the Royal Navy. The optics are terrible around this and whether the presence of Dragon is mission critical or not we still needed to show the world that we are relevant at the top table. The French were extremely lucky with timing which allowed their carrier group to be able to respond quickly and show skin in the game at short notice….again optics.
I hope we will be on an upward trajectory from here.
At the end of the day we as a nation are paying for decisions made 14-20 years ago.. the learning which will not be taken is that you cannot cut your navy based on present geopolitical and geostrategic conditions.. you cannot cut only assume the worst and build its using a worst case model.. because you cannot determine what will happen in 20 years time and so you must assume the worst.. essentially Cameron assumed the best possible geopolitical picture based on nothing more than hopes and dreams..
With Frigates, MCMV, RFA, amphibious, yes.
The T45s issue is province of the previous rabble, and lots else.
I’d have the lot interviewed on camera and shamed, but that’s not going to happen.
Given Blair hasn’t been prosecuted over Iraq, people aren’t going to be questioned over defence spending decisions…
Good point, Spock….yes, he should have been. As I said, it’s not going to happen.
Yep indeed.. it’s a whole group effort. But the main issue is that the opposition should stay quiet during international crisis.. when it’s over they can pick fault to their heart’s content.. but while it’s going on total solidarity.. because they are not in the room so their job is to support HMG.
Especially as they were responsible for much or most of the losses.
Correct, there’s no such thing as Hard Power on a budget.
Coincidentally what is the origin of the word Budget? Budge it…to the right?
Not so long as 14-20 years. It is also decisions taken during that period. Constant delays in construction to save money in recent years and decommissioning ships early that might be nackered but would still do a job, plus putting off maintance resulting in said state.
The last conservatives government and now most of the reform MP (former conservatives) should be keeping a low profile over this, as they are to blame for this mess. Not 100% as also the last labour added to it, but certainly high percentage and instead the media let’s them point fingers at the current government.
Yes, all relevant.
I was amused at the 8 sailors of MTXG deployed to the straights seen in the DT, representatives of E Sqn, the “Expeditionary” side of the MTXG that’s not tied to the 3 HMNBs.
How do they operate in a war zone if HMG decide to use them? The straights are not a benign environment.
How do they deploy the USVs without mother vessels beyond x distance from the shoreline?
Where are the mother vessels?
In effect, 24 MCMV in the late 90s early 2000s have been reduced to a handful of personnel, 1 Sandown in Faslane, and 4 Hunts in varying states in Pompey, 1, the ex HMS Brecon, as a training vessel.
Plus MTXG, with cutting edge USVs in minimal number as phase 2 keeps getting kicked down the road and has not been ordered yet, neither have the 3 LSVs.
Lots of chickens fluttering about HMG, the MoD, and the Admiralty at the moment, and oh!! The IRONY of that idiot Lord West being interviewed again bemoaning a lack of assets. Lord Carter was rolled out as well.
They can’t operate in a hot war zone, no anti-mine vessel can. The USN knows this.
Its even moved two of its LCS ships, that are assigned to the middle-east and configured for anti-mine operations, away from Bahrain to the safety of Malaysia!
Maybe this will be the kick up the arse and learning experience they need to show them that their autonomous boat fetish is a load of BS and that autonomous vessels are nothing more than adjuncts to actual ships…import adjuncts moving forward but adjuncts nonetheless.
This maybe the crisis that saved the Royal Navy… what’s betting the DIP gets binned and iteration V10.2 gets written.
Exactly. We’ve been banging that drum for a while!
Autonomous is fine, in ADDITION to, not instead of, hard warfighting assets.
Don’t give them another excuse to delay DIP!
Not sure it will have much to do, but its there if needed. Sorry its high lighted the sad state of the Bristish under armed forces. I do hear good things from friends in the Army that things are getting better and there does seem to light at the end of the tunnel. Will take years to put right the sad deline but it will get better just not yet which know we all wish it would.
Shame on those that let things get to the shoddy state that has embarassed the nation and annoyed those serving. They are doing the best they can with what little they have.
I think what gets my goat is the amount of political crowing from the opposition.. in time of international crisis it’s the job of the loyal opposition to “shut the fuck up” and stand behind the government.. it’s what every opposition does… the fact it was on the conservative governments watch that the navy collapsed is besides the point.. at the point of international crisis other nations should see nothing but solidarity.. anything else is increases our perceived geopolitical and geostrategic weakness with our allies and enemies alike and that damages the UKs security situation..
What you’re referring to is the difference between politicians and statesmen…
The Conservatives did order T31 and T26 – very, very delayed!
During the NATO naval exercise REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 2025 off the coast of Portugal, Ukrainian forces leading the opposing team delivered a surprising result
A multinational naval group commanded by UkR officers used Magura V7 naval drones to penetrate the defences of NATO “Blue” forces to successfully strike multiple targets, including at least one allied frigate
In one scenario, the simulated attack hit the frigate so many times it would have likely sunk in a real combat situation.
The exercise included five scenarios involving convoy defence, port protection and convoy attacks. In every scenario, the “Red” force led by the UkR planners defeated the defending NATO group
A UkR source commented that the problem wasn’t that “they couldn’t stop us – they couldn’t see us”
The moment became even more surreal when, five minutes after one simulated strike, the NATO side asked “So, are you going to attack us or not?”
This was a powerful demonstration of something the Black Sea war has already proven:- Ukraine’s drone warfare is reshaping how naval battles will be fought in the future.
Yet there’s so many that still dismiss the usefulness of drones 🤦🏻♂️
Costal and littoral.. there is an important distinction.. just look at the gulf.. the USN is not willing to go into the littoral due in the main to risk from small boats and autonomous systems.. but it’s perfectly safe sitting out to sea and pounding the hell out of Iran.. sea based drones have turned the littoral into a death trap.. but the high seas are still the domain of the major combatants..
Bit long for a trip from Portsmouth to Gibraltar? Or is this delayed reporting cos, Opsec and whatnot?
Via a few days work up in Plymouth.
😁