The HMS Diamond shot down the drone - the first time in decades that the Royal Navy has taken out an aerial target in anger

The HMS Diamond shot down the drone - the first time in decades that the Royal Navy has taken out an aerial target in anger

A Royal Navy destroyer warship has shot down a suspected attack drone over the Red Sea, the Defence Secretary has said.

The HMS Diamond was only sent to the region two weeks ago amid growing international concern about the threat to shipping.

The Type 45 destroyer was said to have destroyed the suspected attack drone targeting merchant shipping - with a Sea Viper missile.

It is believed to be the first time that the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial target in anger since the First Gulf War in 1991.

Grant Shapps said it was believed merchant shipping in the Red Sea was the intended target, in the latest such confrontation in the key global shipping route.

  • conquer4@lemmy.worldEnglish
    191·
    1 year ago

    Winning and losing is nebulous concept since ww2. The initial goal in Afghanistan was destroying al qaeda’s base of operations and killing bin laden. All accomplished, so ‘win’? The whole nation building was a nice idea, but who really cares about the goat farmers as long as they don’t harbor terrorists.

    As for Ukraine, please tell me how Russia thinks it’s (still) winning, support does seem to be waning for Ukraine support. But Russia has lost almost double the amount of tanks the US has in service alone.

    Even if they win, it will absolutely have been a pyrrhic victory that gutted their armed forces, ruined their economy, and made them dependent on China, Iran, and NK.

    BTW, a US destroyer (with some airborne radar support) can defend a thousand km in each direction and low earth orbit.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldEnglish
      422·
      1 year ago

      Al Qaeda still exists. ISIS still exists. Taliban still exists.

      Yea the 2 million dollar missles can take down a 5-15k drone. Hope you’re bankrolling israel’s genocide buddy. This defense is gonna be EXPENSIVE.

      Russia will win if they hold out until American and EU support stops which (sadly) seems to be reaching a breaking point because funding a genocide seems more fun for the West than stopping one.

      They said Russia ran out of everything two years ago. Now America is running out?