Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Royal Navy’s destroyer HMS Diamond (D34), deployed in the Red Sea, reportedly intercepted and likely downed an unidentified aerial drone in the early hours preceding Saturday.
British Defense Minister Grant Shapps wrote to X on Saturday to disclose the incident.
According to Shapps, the object, potentially an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, had targeted a merchant vessel in the Red Sea.
“‘One Sea Viper missile was fired and successfully destroyed the target,” he added, emphasizing that “the ship recently arrived in the region to bolster international efforts to maintain maritime security”
“The UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade,” concluded the official statement.
In November, Britain announced deploying one of its most advanced vessels, HMS Diamond, to the Persian Gulf to bolster its presence in the region. The destroyer conducts operations aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation, protecting commercial vessels, and securing safe trade routes.
