London [UK], March 4: The UK government will deploy a Royal Navy warship to the Mediterranean to bolster security around RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said HMS Dragon - a Type 45 Destroyer - will be sent to the region as the Middle East war continues to spiral.
Two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters will join the vessel, equipped with Martlet missiles which are designed to counter drone attacks.
France is also reportedly planning to move air-defence systems to Cyprus.
Paris will dispatch a frigate as well as anti-missile and anti-drone systems to the country, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency has said.
The development comes a day after the runway of the British air base in Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri, was hit by a drone - causing what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) described as "minimal damage".
The MoD also said UK armed forces had shot down drones in Iraq, Jordan and Qatar over the last 24 hours. The Royal Navy has six Type 45 Destroyers, with three of those at various stages of readiness and the other three in maintenance and currently unavailable.
Currently, the Royal Navy has no major warship in the Mediterranean region.
Earlier on Tuesday, it had been speculated that HMS Duncan might be deployed to the area, but Sir Keir confirmed on X that HMS Dragon would be sent.
"The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there," he said.
"We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies." The MoD said HMS Dragon - which is crewed by more than 200 people - was "one of the most capable air defence warships in the world" and could launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: "We are moving quickly to further reinforce our defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"HMS Dragon brings world-class air defence capability, and our Wildcat helicopters are armed with Martlet missiles to counter the growing drone threat." Downing Street said the PM had spoken to the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, on Tuesday afternoon.
"He expressed his outrage at the drone attack on the RAF Base in Akrotiri on Sunday evening - adding that it is a deeply concerning example of the highly dangerous, indiscriminate attacks by Iran and its proxies taking place across the region," a spokesperson said.
"[The prime minister] set out his unwavering support for Cyprus and its security."
Source: Qatar Tribune
