The Royal Navy has announced HMS Dragon has departed the UK to head to the Eastern Mediterranean to bolster British defences in the region.
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Press Release, Whale Island, 10 March 2026: [extracts] Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon today departed the UK to head to the Eastern Mediterranean to bolster British defences in the region.
The crew’s loved ones joined hundreds of well-wishers lining the seawall as Dragon slipped out of Portsmouth Harbour, while last week drone-busting Wildcat helicopters departed from RNAS Yeovilton, and on Monday a Merlin Mk2 helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall arrived in Cyprus.
The Portsmouth-based warship will use her Sea Viper missile system to help safeguard UK assets and interests – assisted by Wildcats from 815 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Martlet missiles able to deal with the aerial drone threat.
Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse said: “I am proud that our highly-professional personnel have responded in a short time to ensure HMS Dragon and the Wildcats from 815 Naval Air Squadron are fully prepared for their mission.”
Based in Portsmouth and each with a crew of around 200 sailors, the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers are the Fleet’s first line of defence against aerial threats – aircraft, missiles, drones – and are capable of protecting an area up to five times the size of Cyprus. HMS Dragon can track hundreds of targets simultaneously – and eliminate them with the Sea Viper system which can launch eight missiles in under ten seconds and direct up to 16 missiles on to their targets simultaneously, closing in for the kill at up to four times the speed of sound, manoeuvring at G-Forces no human can endure.
HMS Dragon’s Commanding Officer, Commander Iain Giffin, said: “My ship’s company have worked tirelessly to ensure we are ready for our mission to the Eastern Mediterranean.
“I am proud of professional manner in which they have responded. We are trained for this, we are ready for this, we have the equipment and people, we have the support of the British people and, most importantly, our families and friends.”
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¤ See also: UK Deploying HMS Dragon to Eastern Mediterranean (03 March 2026)
