Brit warship HMS Diamond blasts Houthi missile out of the sky in Red Sea for first time after rebel attack on cargo ship | 930T33C | 2024-04-26 19:08:01
A ROYAL Navy warship has shot down a ballistic missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the first time.
HMS Diamond unleashed its devastating Sea Viper system to blast the missile out of the sky, Grant Shapps told The Times.
It was the first time in more than three decades that British warships had engaged an enemy missile in anger.
The Type 45 air defence destroyer was protecting a merchant vessel attacked in the Red Sea on Wednesday.
The vessel had shot down several drones including seven in one night in January.
But it was the first time a Royal Navy warship has shot down a ballistic missile since 1991, during the first Gulf War.
Shapps said: "A commercial ship came under attack by a ballistic missile and HMS Diamond shot down that missile using Sea Viper."
Each Sea Viper missile costs over £1million.
Shapps said the attack proved how dangerous the world had become.
He said rebel groups like the Houthis were bristling with "very sophisticated weapons" from sponsors such as Iran.
He claimed the incident proved that Rishi Sunak was right to ramp up spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030.
Shapps added: "That gives an indication of a changed world and why the 2.5 per cent is so vital."
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> HMS Diamond was deployed to the Red Sea alongside a US carrier group to protect merchant shipping and Israel from Iran-backed attacks.
It can track hundreds of objects the size of a tennis ball from hundreds of miles away with its iconic Samson radar.
Houthi rebels are armed with Iran's Fateh missiles which can reach over 400 miles.
The Houthis boasted yesterday that they had targeted the Maersk Yorktown ship and an American warship destroyer in the Gulf of Aden.
HMS Diamond fired Sea Viper missiles and its close in Phalanx machine guns to shoot down several drones before rotating with frigate HMS Richmond.
The smaller UK warship shot down a pair of drones using its smaller Sea Ceptor missiles.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, which they say are in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
In January, HMS Diamond was forced to defend itself with Sea Viper missiles as the militants continued their relentless campaign of attacks.
The enormous warship used its formidable Sea Viper missiles to take down the rebel threat in the clash on Saturday.
The same ship has been forced to take on Houthi fighters before as they continue their relentless campaign of aggression in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
<p class="article__content--intro"> THE Houthi rebels are terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they? </p> </div> </div> IRON FLEET
Just a few days before the January blitz, HMS Diamond and American warships launched a coordinated attack after the Houthis launched their biggest assault.
The US Central Command said the "complex attack" included bomb-carrying drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile.
It said 18 drones, two cruise missiles and the anti-ship missile were downed by F-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the USS Gravely, the USS Laboon and the USS Mason, as well as the UK's HMS Diamond.
HMS Diamond blasted seven of the 18 drones out of the sky.
It was at least the second time the Type 45 destroyer had deployed its devastating Sea Viper missiles and the first time it had used its deck-mounted anti-aircraft cannon to blast targets at much closer range.
The crew shot down at least some of the drones with the ship's 30mm DS-30B cannon.
The weapon can fire up to 650 rounds per minute and hit fast moving aircraft at more than 1.7miles away.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said it was the biggest attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.
He believes HMS Diamond was "deliberately targeted" by the rebels.
"Deploying Sea Viper missiles and guns, Diamond destroyed multiple attack drones heading for her and commercial shipping in the area," Mr Shapps said.
"The UK alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences."
He confirmed there were no injuries or damage to Diamond and her crew.
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The crew of the British warship (pictured) who worked to shoot down the Houthi ballistic missile[/caption]
A previous image of HMS Diamond firing its Sea Viper missile to engage and shoot down an aerial drone over the Red Sea[/caption]
HMS Diamonds operations room where the call to fire her Sea Viper missiles is made[/caption]
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HMS Diamonds interception of the ballistic missile was the first by a Royal Navy warship since 1991, during the first Gulf War[/caption]
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