The Royal Navy is racing to kit out HMS Dragon with the weapons and kit she needs to deploy to Cyprus, defence officials have told BFBS Forces News.
The Type 45 destroyer was originally due to deploy on a different mission but is now being readied to protect RAF Akrotiri as Iran continues to target western assets in the Gulf with drones and ballistic missiles.
She’s due to arrive by next week at the earliest – by which time, Iran's ballistic missile arsenal is likely to have run out, according to the same defence officials.
The delay in HMS Dragon's arrival will feed into criticism – including from US President Trump – that Sir Keir Starmer's government has been characterised by dithering in the infancy of this war, but it also reflects long-held concerns from experts over the readiness of the Royal Navy's fleet.
Read the briefing from defence officials here and analysis from the former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe here.
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