Royal Navy destroyer shoots down drone focusing on Red Sea ships

A Royal Navy destroyer’s surface-to-air missile has shot down a suspected assault drone focusing on service provider ships within the Red Sea.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps revealed that HMS Diamond ‘efficiently destroyed’ the goal utilizing a Sea Viper missile.

It is the primary time the missile – which travels at thrice the pace of sound – has been utilized in fight by the Navy.

Reports prompt the drone was fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who’ve carried out assaults on at the least 10 service provider vessels since November 19.

The Red Sea lies between north Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and connects the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal. 

HMS Diamond, one of many Navy’s most superior warships, was solely despatched to the area two weeks in the past amid rising worldwide concern concerning the risk to transport.

Sources mentioned the ship was being despatched to thwart Iranian makes an attempt to regulate the Strait of Hormuz, one of many world’s most strategically essential passages of water.

Her deployment got here days after Houthi rebels descended by helicopter and seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship.

And earlier that week, Tehran launched footage of considered one of its drones flying over the USS Dwight D Eisenhower plane service which was crusing within the Strait.

Both incidents have been regarded as associated to the Israel-Hamas battle and raised fears of elevated regional tensions.

Mr Shapps mentioned in a press release: ‘Overnight, HMS Diamond shot down a suspected assault drone which was focusing on service provider transport within the Red Sea.

‘One Sea Viper missile was fired and efficiently destroyed the goal. 

‘The ship not too long ago arrived within the area to bolster worldwide efforts to keep up maritime safety.

‘The current spate of unlawful assaults symbolize a direct risk to worldwide commerce and maritime safety within the Red Sea. 

‘The UK stays dedicated to repelling these assaults to guard the free movement of worldwide commerce.’

On Friday Maersk, the world’s largest transport firm, informed all its vessels planning to move by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait within the Red Sea to ‘pause their journey till additional discover’ after a missile assault on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.

The incident is believed to the primary time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial goal in anger because the First Gulf War in 1991.

First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key mentioned: ‘One sixth of the world’s business transport passes by the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea. HMS Diamond deployed at quick discover to the area from Portsmouth simply two weeks in the past and is already delivering impact along with our American, French and different allies and companions.

‘The Royal Navy is dedicated to upholding the precise to free use of the oceans and we don’t tolerate indiscriminate threats or assaults towards these going about their lawful enterprise on the excessive seas.’

The Ministry of Defence has not mentioned who was behind the assault.

The Sea Viper was utilized in a check of naval defences in June, when it was fired from the Navy’s £1bn HMS Defender to destroy a jet drone. 

Petty Officer Cameron McDonnell managed the missile fired from Defender on the drone, which travels at lots of of miles an hour, and efficiently downed the ‘Bruiser’.

HMS Diamond, generally known as a jewel of the Royal Navy, is a Type 45 destroyer filled with cutting-edge army sensors, resembling Sampson radar, and complex weapons. Due to her smooth design she can be virtually invisible on enemy radar.

Her Sea Viper anti-air missile system will shield business and army ships together with the Royal Navy’s HMS Lancaster and three UK mine-hunting ships, HMS Bangor, HMS Chiddingfold and HMS Middleton already deployed there.

Portsmouth-based HMS Diamond has a crew of as much as 200 sailors and is supplied with a Wildcat helicopter, which can be utilized by Royal Marine commandos to board hostile ships.

More than 150 business vessels carrying an estimated £6billion in items move by the strait every single day, underlining its significance to the worldwide financial system. 

These ships are susceptible to assault as a result of narrowness of the strait, simply 30 miles in locations. The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. 

Israel condemned final month’s assault on the Galaxy Leader which was en route from Turkey to India when it was seized off Yemen.

Reports prompt it’s owned by an Israeli billionaire. Her 25 crew of varied nationalities have been taken hostage.

Terrifying footage from the hijacking confirmed armed gunmen swooping in on the tanker by helicopter earlier than storming the bridge and capturing the vessel. 

The ship had been chartered by a Japanese group, and was flying the flag of the Bahamas on the time of the raid.  

A photographer mentioned the Galaxy Leader was anchored on the rebel-controlled Hodeida port in northwest Yemen and was intently guarded. It was now flying the Yemeni and Palestinian flags.

The Houthis have declared themselves a part of the ‘axis of resistance’ of Iran‘s allies and proxies, and have additionally launched a sequence of drones and missiles in the direction of Israel.

In a chilling risk following the raid, the Iran-backed terror group declared: ‘All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that cope with it’s going to develop into reputable targets.’