The Type 45 destroyer was spotted in Gibraltar on Sunday (25 Feb), filling up with Sea Viper air defence system missiles after shooting down Houthi drones last month.
Crew members were seen loading the tall Aster missiles, which are 16ft tall and weigh nearly 500kg.
These replace the ones used to stop an attack on shipping lanes by Houthis on January 9.
The Sea Viper weapons system, which includes two radars, the command system and the Aster missile, can keep track of hundreds of possible threats to a single ship or group at distances up to 250 miles, and get rid of them when they get to around 70 miles.
The ship came back to Gibraltar on February 10 with new kill markings after dealing with attacks from Iran-backed rebels.
The shapes indicate the drones were seven Samad-variant kamikaze drones, one Mersad and one Shahed-136 (Wa-aed).
At the time, the UK Ministry of Defence said: “Overnight HMS Diamond alongside US vessels repelled the largest and most complex attack by Houthis in the Red Sea to date.
“Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea. Attacks to commercial shipping jeopardise the movement of goods worldwide.”
Kill marks, or victory marks, are symbols applied in stencil or decal to the side of a military aircraft to denote an aerial victory achieved by the aircraft’s pilot or crew.
The use of victory markings originated during World War I, burgeoned during World War II and frequently took the form of the roundel or national flag of the nationality of the aircraft defeated.
