UK to Deploy Autonomous Mine-Hunting Systems to Strait of Hormuz, Destroyer Heading to Middle East

US-Iran War Key News

(Central News Agency, Reporter Chen Yun-yu, London, 12th) UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey announced today at a multilateral defense ministers' video conference on the Strait of Hormuz that the UK will deploy autonomous mine-hunting and advanced anti-drone systems, as well as 'Typhoon' fighter jets and air defense destroyers, to facilitate the swift restoration of stability to international commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The UK Ministry of Defence emphasized that the multilateral security operation in the Strait of Hormuz, led and coordinated by the UK, will strictly adhere to the principle of a 'defensive nature' and will be activated 'when circumstances permit'.

More than 40 countries participated in today's meeting, with each country presenting resources they could provide for the security operation in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to information from the UK Ministry of Defence, the military resources the UK intends to deploy include autonomous mine-hunting systems; light and high-speed autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) developed by the UK company Kraken, used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike missions; 'Typhoon' fighter jets that have seen combat in the Middle East and will perform aerial patrol missions in the Strait of Hormuz; and several British mine clearance experts.

The UK Navy's air defense destroyer, HMS Dragon, which arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean in late March for defensive duties, is already en route to the Middle East, preparing to be on standby.

HMS Dragon is equipped with the 'Sea Viper' advanced air defense weapon system, capable of simultaneously tracking hundreds of potential aerial strike targets 360 degrees, guiding up to 16 missiles simultaneously, and launching up to 8 missiles within 10 seconds, approaching targets at speeds up to Mach 4.

The UK Navy's planned deployment of military resources to the Strait of Hormuz, combining autonomous, unmanned, and manned systems, aligns with the 'Hybrid Navy' capability building that the UK has been actively implementing recently.

To carry out security missions in the Strait of Hormuz and simultaneously develop mine-hunting unmanned systems and anti-drone systems, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that the UK will additionally invest £115 million (approximately NT$4.9 billion).

On the other hand, the UK Navy continues to prepare and upgrade the RFA Lyme Bay, a landing ship belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, to meet future mission requirements as a 'mother ship' for autonomous unmanned systems, becoming a mobile command and control, deployment, and maintenance center for various autonomous unmanned systems. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150513

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