A Royal Navy destroyer shot down swarms of drones during a live-fire exercise ahead of a major deployment. The training off the coast of Wales aimed to mirror some of the threats the Navy faced from the Houthis in the Red Sea last year.
The exercise was HMS Dauntless’ final test before setting sail to the Indo-Pacific alongside a Royal Navy aircraft carrier and other ships. The journey could see the warships travel in waters close to the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard told Sky News: “If anyone were to threaten our carrier, they should be in no doubt that we possess formidable capabilities to defend ourselves, to defend every ship in that task force.”
The training, known as Exercise Sharpshooter, saw the Type 45 destroyer shoot down drones using her Phalanx gun, which can fire more than 3,000 rounds per minute, 4.5inch and 30mm Guns – the latter was used by the Royal Navy to shoot down Houthi drones in 2024.
A Wildcat helicopter also downed some of the targets using Martlet missiles.
HMS Dauntless is set to depart for Asia as part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group in the coming weeks.
The Houthis have threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again in the region over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip.
However, the rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, raising concerns other vessels could be targeted as well.
During the training, HMS Dauntless fended off hundreds of Banshee, Hammerhead and virtual drone attacks as part of a scenario designed to mimic real-world threats.
The Banshee is an aerial drone that can fly at speeds of more than 200mph, while the Hammerhead is an uncrewed surface vessel.
Sea drones like the Hammerhead have been used to devastating effect by Ukraine’s armed forces in the Black Sea.
The US is continuing to carry out regular airstrikes on the Houthis, with President Donald Trump claiming the group has been “decimated” by the campaign that was launched last month.
