HMS Defender D36 Type 45 destroyer will join British Navy deployed in the Strait of Hormuz.

The HMS Defender (D36) Type 45 guided-missile destroyer will join the British Royal Navy’s efforts to support the safe passage of shipping in the Middle East. This deployment will ensure that the UK has the flexibility to continually commit a vessel to the international mission.

HMS Defender, a Type 45 Destroyer, seen here leaving HMNB Portsmouth today (12/08/2019). (Picture source British MoD)

The British Government confirmed earlier this month that the Royal Navy has been tasked to accompany British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as part of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC).

The British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Wherever the red ensign flies around the world, the UK stands by to protect freedom of navigation whenever is it tested.
Portsmouth-based HMS Defender will ensure the continuous availability of a ship to reassure and accompany merchant's vessels.
HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, remains stationed in the region and has so far completed more than 30 transits of the Strait.

HMS Defender sailed from Portsmouth on 12 August 2019, alongside HMS Kent. Both Defender and Kent will now work alongside international partners as part of the newly-formed International Maritime Security Construct.

The UK has a long-standing maritime presence in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. For almost 40 years, units of both the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have maintained a constant presence in the Gulf.

The HMS Defender (D36) is the fifth of Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name. Construction of Defender began in 2006, and she was launched in 2009. The ship completed her first sea trials in October–November 2011 and was commissioned during March 2013.

The Daring-class guided-missile destroyers or Type 45 are primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare and are built around the PAAMS (Sea Viper) air-defense system utilizing the SAMPSON AESA and the S1850M long-range radars.

The Type 45 destroyers are 152.4 m in length, with a beam of 21.2 m, a draught of 7.4 m and a displacement of approximately 8,500 tones.

The Type 45 destroyer is equipped with the Sea Viper (PAAMS) air-defence system utilizing the SAMPSON active electronically scanned array multi-function radar and the S1850M long-range radar. PAAMS is able to track over 2,000 targets and simultaneously control and coordinate multiple missiles in the air at once, allowing a large number of tracks to be intercepted and destroyed at any given time.

The flight deck of the Type 45 is large enough to accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Chinook helicopter.