HMS Dragon won’t set sail until next week as Iran conflict spirals in Middle East
Warship HMS Dragon will not set sail until next week to protect the British base in Cyprus as conflict continues in the Middle East.
After RAF Akrotiri was hit by a drone early on Monday, the ship was being loaded with ammunition in Portsmouth and sent to the Mediterranean.
At a time when there are questions about Britain’s readiness to defend its overseas bases, nothing will happen to get a warship ready sooner, officials said.
They did not specify where the drone that hit Akrotiri came from, but said assessments showed it was a Shahed type and was not launched from Iran.
When journalists asked why Type 45 destroyers were not sent to the region during the US military buildup months ago, officials said that geopolitics, which has become increasingly fragile with many different security threats, complicated the situation.
Officials said HMS Dragon was chosen because it was the most ready for the mission.
Meanwhile, Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet drone destruction missiles were deployed a few days ahead of the warship to bolster defenses in the area, they said.
The Type 45 air defense destroyer aims to strengthen protection against drones and missiles launched by Iran and its proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The destroyer’s journey from Portsmouth to Cyprus is expected to take several days.
The ship was seen receiving supplies from Portsmouth’s upper harbor munitions facility on Wednesday morning.
Defense minister Al Carns said the ship had to be adapted before going to sea.
He told Sky News: “What I will say is that that ship was being outfitted for a different mission. We’ve now completely reworked it.”
“We are going through various maintenance, different maintenance to get the system up and running as quickly as possible.
“We had to replace the weapon systems on it, finish the welding, get it operational and get it to sea as quickly as possible.”
He did not go into detail about Britain’s missile stockpiles but said he had “full confidence in the military’s planning capacity and ability to ensure that we are adequately prepared for any eventuality.”
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “We are strengthening our defense presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet drone destroyer missiles are being deployed within days.
“They will strengthen our RAF Typhoons, F-35B jets, ground-based counter-drone teams, radar systems and Voyager refueling aircraft already deployed. Our jets now fly sustained sorties to defend against indiscriminate Iranian attacks that threaten the UK population, interests and bases.”
“The Royal Navy is working as quickly as possible to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment, which includes the resupply of air defense missiles at our munitions facility at HMNB in Portsmouth.”
