HMS Dragon supports French Carrier Strike Group

The Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer deployed to the region ahead of a potential mission to the Strait of Hormuz.

 HMS Dragon joined with the French group in the Gulf of Aden in the latest phase of her operations, which initially saw her deploy to the Eastern Mediterranean in March to safeguard Cyprus before sailing east of the Suez Canal.

HMS Dragon’s Commanding Officer, Commander Iain Giffin, said: “Dragon is proud to be representing the UK, working alongside the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle, and its task group.

“Alongside the French, Dragon has been building greater understanding of regional activity and patterns of life.

“Type 45s were designed to work alongside a UK aircraft carrier and therefore is the perfect asset to integrate with the French aircraft carrier. Dragon’s advanced surveillance capability can detect potential threats many miles away and provide early warning to the rest of the task group.

“Integrating fast jets with maritime activities is core business for a Type 45 and I am pleased that Dragon can bring her organic expertise and equipment to bare to not only protect the aircraft carrier but also provide early warning of potential attack.”

HMS Dragon can use her Sea Viper missile system to help safeguard UK assets and interests – assisted by its embarked Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, equipped with Martlet missiles able to deal with aerial drone threats.

The deployment follows Dragon’s completion of rigorous weapons and sensor testing at a NATO facility off Crete, where the ship’s company honed their skills, including live firing, in realistic, high threat conditions to ensure readiness for operations in the Middle East.

Experts from Royal Navy Digital’s Maritime C5i Support Unit (MCSU) have been working behind the scenes to help ensure the safety of the ship too.

The directorate’s Technical Security Team conducted a vulnerability assessment of the maritime data-transfer system used for ship-to-shore data transfer to ensure that critical data pathways remain resilient against cyber intrusion, tampering, or exploitation.

The Cyber Threat Intelligence team provide tailored intelligence on the expected cyber and information threats within the area of operations, which enables the ship to anticipate hostile activity and adapt its defensive posture accordingly.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Disruption of international shipping sees increased global energy prices, disrupted supply chains, and increased costs for households and business in the UK and around the world.