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A former Navy ship declared that: “This will be the best anti-aircraft ship in the world”

TYPE 45 DESTROYER

Britain’s six Type 45 Destroyers are among the most advanced warships ever built. They’re suited to a huge range of tasks, from hunting down pirates to defending the Fleet from air attack, or providing humanitarian aid.

Daring class – Type 45 destroyers

Equipped with the ferocious Sea Viper missile, which can knock moving targets out of the sky from up to 70 miles away, Type 45 Destroyers are the backbone of the Royal Navy.

A warship for the 21st Century

The Type 45 Destroyer is more than just a ship: it’s a symbol of Britain’s eminent place on the world stage and a powerful deterrent to those who would do us harm.

Daring class – Type 45 destroyers



It’s the embodiment of the Royal Navy’s commitment to defending the Fleet, upholding the law, and protecting our economy and way of life.

Weapons and capabilities

Communications

The Type 45 Destroyer is fitted with a Fully Integrated Communications System (FICS45), which provides voice, intercom, data links and conference calls both internally and externally.

Daring class – Type 45 destroyers

The Type 45 Destroyer’s communication’s suite also includes a Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) system, which provide the ship with total awareness of the surrounding environment.

Guns

The Type 45 Destroyer also comes equipped with an array of conventional weaponry, including the BAE Systems 4.5-inch Mark 8 Mod 1, two 30mm DSM Mark 2s, two Phalanx 20mm close-in weapons systems, two 7.62mm miniguns, and up to six FN MAG general purpose machine guns.



Daring class – Type 45 destroyers

This fearsome arsenal is designed for a range of purposes, from repelling fast inshore attack craft to destroying short-range missiles in mid-air.

Radar and countermeasures 

The onboard Seagnat decoy system uses radar jamming and deception to protect the Type 45 Destroyer from incoming missiles, while the Surface Ship Torpedo Defence System (SSTD) safeguards against waterborne threats.

Daring class – Type 45 destroyers

The Type 45 Destroyer is also equipped with a bow-mounted medium-frequency Ultra/EDO MFS-7000 sonar to detect enemy submarines, while the Sea Viper missile system uses the SAMPSON AESA and S1850M long-range radars to detect and track enemy missiles.

Sea Viper missile system

The Sea Viper missile system is the Type 45 destroyer’s principal weapon, able to track – and destroy – multiple aerial threats simultaneously from hostile aircraft to the latest anti-ship/anti-surface missiles and drones.



Daring class – Type 45 destroyers

 Shooting a moving target out of the sky from a ship is no easy task – but the Sea Viper’s unique capabilities, such as the ability to launch eight missiles in less than ten seconds and to simultaneously guide up to 16 missiles at a time, make it a world leader.

Daring class – Type 45 destroyers

The system is undergoing a £300m upgrade which will ensure Sea Viper can fend off the latest threats from ballistic missiles.