'Completely re-rolled': Why HMS Dragon is not going to Middle East op right now - geared for 'different task'
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Extensive work has to be completed on a Portsmouth-based destroyer before she can respond to the situation in the Middle East, the armed forces minister has said.
Al Carns, Labour politician and former Colonel in the Royal Marines, addressed the situation the current situation with HMS Dragon. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the Type 45 warship and Wildcat helicopters would sail for the Eastern Mediterranean in response to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus being struck by a drone.
Strikes are still raging in Iran and across the Middle East, following a US-Israeli attack over the weekend. The ship’s company are hard at work preparing the ship for the operation, with her being replenished with supplies at the Upper Harbour Ammunitioning Facility (UHAF) at HMNB Portsmouth. Her new role is a last minute change of plans, as she was previously designated to lead Nato’s Standing Maritime Group 1 after a spell of maintenance.
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This means it will take some days for the warship and her assets to be prepared, possibly next week according to reports in Navy Lookout and elsewhere. Addressing the preparedness of the vessel, Mr Carns said HMS Dragon needs to be adapted before she can sail.
He told Sky News: “What I will say is that that vessel was being fitted out for a different task. We’ve now completely re-rolled it. We’re going through varieties, different bits of maintenance, to make sure that as fast as possible we can get that system up and running.
“We’ve had to change weapon systems on it, finish welding, get it up and running, and get it sailing as fast as possible.” Mr Carns did not get into detail about the UK’s missile stockpiles but said he had “complete confidence in the planning capacity and capability of the military to ensure we’re properly prepared for any eventuality”.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has entered its sixth day. Flights carrying Britons have been left stranded in the Middle East, with the first rescue aircraft British Airways commercial flight from Muscat, Oman, expected to land early on Thursday morning (March 5). A technical issue at the airport in Oman prevented the first chartered plane from taking off as planned.
Commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates are cancelled due to airspace restrictions caused by the conflict. Some 138,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the Middle East.
The Government has also been criticised for failing to have enough military assets in the Middle East region after the RAF Akrotiri drone strike. The Royal Navy has been turning its attention away from the Gulf due to priorities in the HIgh North and North Atlantic - opposing Russia’s burgeoning maritime force and supporting Nato operations.
The last permanently stationed warship in the Middle East, HMS Lancaster, was retired in December 2025. This was the first time a ship was not permanently deployed there since 1980. Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse previously defended the decision, stating it was what allies wanted, garnering widespread criticism.
Sir Keir said Wildcat helicopters with Martlet missiles and other anti-drone capabilities will be at Cyprus this week. He insisted action had been taken in response to rising tensions in the region before the war broke out.
Cypriot high commissioner to the UK, Kyriacos Kouros, said HMS Dragon’s was welcome, but noted it would take “more than a week” to arrive. Asked if he thought the UK had acted with sufficient urgency to protect those people who are living in and around the bases, he told Sky News: “Already we have the presence of Greek forces on the island.
“The French are coming. So… the least we expect is the Britons to also be present since, as I said, we are not only defending Cypriots on the island.” France has sent its flagship nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle to the region, accompanied by its air wing, and its escorting frigates in response to the strike on RAF Akrotiri.
In response to the HMS Dragon deployment, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We are reinforcing our defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet drone-busting missiles are deploying within days.
“They will reinforce our RAF Typhoons, F-35B jets, ground-based counter-drone teams, radar systems, and Voyager refuelling aircraft already deployed. Our jets are now flying continuous sorties to defend against indiscriminate Iranian strikes threatening UK people, interests, and bases. The Royal Navy are working as fast as possible to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment, including resupplying her air defence missiles at our ammunition facility in HMNB in Portsmouth.”