The Royal Navy launched a new Destroyer, Type 45 air defense destoyer from BAE's shipyard at Govan. The Type 45 is a larger and more powerful replacement for the aging Type 42's that have been in service since the mid 70s. Displacing 7,200 tonnes the general purpose warship has a projected deep load displacement and a towering radar mast.
The main armaments of this class includes a sophisticated Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) as well as a comprehensive suite of weapons and equipment that can be deployed against a wide range of military tasks.
The PAAMS is capable of controlling several missiles simultaneously, each capable of engaging individual targets preventing swarm attacks by supersonic, stealthy and highly maneuverable sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. It is also capable of defeating steep-diving flight profiles attacking from several directions and flight profiles. The PAAMS is produced and procured in conjunction with France and Italy.
Equiped with a 4.5 inch Mark 8 Mod 1 gun for shore bombardment, anti-submarine helicopter, anti-submarine torpedoes and surface ship torpedo defence system, this equipment will protect the Type 45 against the most advanced threats. Large and spacious enough to accommodate a vertical launch system that can carry cruise missiles for land attack capabilities.
The Sampson multi-function radar designed for the Type 45 integrates surveillance and tracking systems with sophisticated anti-jamming configuration.
The ship itself has a listed speed of 27+ knots a range of 7000 nautical missiles at 18 knots. A complement of 190 provides significantly better accommodations than previous versions. A launcher system capable of carrying 48 missiles and room for 1 Lynx or Merlin helicopter.
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