HMS Dragon preparations continue as Royal Navy Merlin surveillance helicopter arrives in Cyprus
Fresh pictures from the Royal Navy are showing the ongoing preparations as HMS Dragon prepared to deploy to the eastern Mediterranean to protect British troops.
The pictures and video show the Type 45 destroyer loading supplies needed after she was tasked with helping to protect our troops after RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus was hit by a drone as the Iran-US conflict continues.
The Type 45 destroyer is this afternoon (March 9) at the Portsmouth Upper Harbour Ammunition Facility, and according to tomorrow’s shipping movements she is due to be moved to BOWS S berth in the afternoon. The Royal Navy has said that she will depart some time this week.
Meanwhile a Royal Navy airborne surveillance and control helicopter has arrived in Cyprus to boost the defence of UK military forces. The Merlin Mk2 helicopter, aircrews and an engineering team, landed at RAF Akrotiri, this afternoon, having left their home at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose on Saturday.
The helicopter, from 820 Naval Air Squadron, has a powerful radar and mission system which provides a defence against aerial threats. With a crew of three, the aircraft can fly up to a mile in height and look ‘over the horizon’ – giving advance warning of incoming drones or missiles.
The Royal Navy said the arrival of HMS Dragon will further boost the UK’s efforts, with the destroyer being one of the most capable air defence warships in the world, fitted with Sea Viper missiles.
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron, armed with air-to-air Martlet missiles, have already been sent to Cyprus. They were loaded onto an RAF C-17 transporter at RNAS Yeovilton for the flight to the Eastern Mediterranean island.
Although still to be tested in action, the Wildcat-Martlet combination has proved successful repeatedly on test ranges with aircrew destroying aerial drones.
The commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, Captain James Hall, said: “We activated one of our ASaC aircraft to deploy immediately to provide an additional layer of defence for our forces at Akrotiri. Our aircraft from Merlin Helicopter Force are held at readiness to respond at short notice to any threat to UK interests.
“820 Naval Air Squadron already has experience of providing force protection from similar threats, having deployed ASaC aircraft on active operations in the Red Sea last year during the transits of the carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales during Operation Highmast.
“This will also compliment the defensive measures provided by the Wildcat aircraft and HMS Dragon, when she arrives in the region, providing a layered capability for the protection of UK forces.”
HMS Dragon is one of six Type 45 destroyers in the Royal Navy’s fleet. Of the other five Type 45 destroyers, HMS Dauntless is undergoing maintenance following last year’s eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment alongside the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
HMS Diamond and HMS Defender are undergoing refits, while HMS Daring is coming to the end of a long-term ‘regeneration’ and is expected to be back in operation later this year and HMS Duncan is in need of maintenance.