Article Posted on : - Sep 01, 2011

New Type 45 destroyer Dragon sails into Portsmouth Naval Base. A UK MoD photo

PORTSMOUTH (BNS): HMS Dragon – the fourth Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyer of the UK Royal Navy, has arrived at its home port in Portsmouth.

The 7,500-tonne warship built by BAE Systems set sail from the Clyde last week for the home port.

The destroyer will undergo a series of tests before being declared ready for operations, the Navy said.

One of the six Type 45 destroyers being built by BAE, HMS Dragon is equipped with Sea Viper air defence missile system.

The warship was launched in November 2008 at Govan shipyard in Glasgow and has since been undergoing sea trials in Scottish waters.

The Type 45 destroyer is the largest and most powerful air defence destroyer ever built for the Royal Navy. The warships will be capable of carrying out a wide range of operations, including anti-piracy and anti-smuggling activities, disaster-relief work and surveillance operations as well as high intensity war fighting.

The Royal Navy has already commissioned three such warships – HMS Dauntless, HMS Daring and HMS Diamond.

BAE expects to complete delivery of the remaining ships of the series by 2013.