The British Royal Navy announced that an upgraded Sea Viper warhead fired from the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon eliminated a simulated supersonic missile attack in NATO’s Exercise Formidable Shield 25.
The military service said that the demonstration marked the first time the missile defense system destroyed a significantly more challenging target with its high speed and corkscrew maneuvers. The Sea Viper deployed was a special telemetry variant designed to log measurements and data valuable for future operations.
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Allied Defense Capability
Cmdr. Iain Giffin, HMS Dragon’s commanding officer, called the Sea Viper demo “a huge moment” for the destroyer, showing not only its air defense capability after an extensive maintenance.
The commander noted that HMS Dragon’s performance in the integrated air and missile defense exercise demonstrated operational capability with NATO partners and allies.
“Training alongside ships, aircraft and land forces from 11 nations in this complex, multi-domain exercise ensures that we maintain our fighting edge against evolving (high) and low-tech threats,” Giffin said. The monthlong Formidable Shield ends on May 31.
Defense Against Drones
According to the Royal Navy, the Sea Viper fired from HMS Dragon also showed defense capability against drone swarms.
In January 2024, London awarded three contracts valued at $514 million to MBDA to enhance the capabilities of the Sea Viper systems on Type 45 warships against drone threats in the Red Sea. The contract called for upgrades to the air defense system, including a new warhead and software program that can neutralize ballistic missile threats.