LONDON: A UK warship Tuesday (Mar 10) left port in southern England en path to the japanese Mediterranean to “bolster British defences within the area” amid the US-Israeli warfare with Iran, the Royal Navy mentioned.
The HMS Dragon’s departure from its base in Portsmouth follows criticism from opposition politicians and the Cypriot authorities for a perceived sluggish response to a drone attack on Britain’s Akrotiri base in southern Cyprus on Mar 1.
An Iranian-made drone hit the runway of the Royal Air Power (RAF) base at Akrotiri.
The destroyer’s long-awaited deployment comes a day after US President Donald Trump mentioned the warfare, which started on Feb 28, would be over “soon”.
The ship is able to capturing down drones and ballistic missiles fired by Iran and its proxies as Iranian assaults “proceed to focus on British pursuits within the area”, the Royal Navy mentioned.
“HMS Dragon is without doubt one of the most succesful air defence warships on the planet, and she’s going to add to our important defensive capabilities within the area by strengthening our capability to detect, observe and destroy aerial threats, together with drones,” the defence ministry mentioned in a press release.
Royal Navy personnel have labored “at tempo” to prepared the warship, finishing six weeks’ price of labor in six days, the ministry mentioned.
