UK’s Ministry of Defence on Sunday (Jan 21) announced its expenditure to upgrade a projectile system, that currently is being used by the Royal Navy, to shoot down drones over the Red Sea.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said that it would spend a total of $514 million (405 million pounds) on the Sea Viper Air Defence system.
The MoD released a statement saying that Sea Viper would be upgraded with missiles featuring a new warhead and software that will allow it to counter ballistic missile threats.
The contracts were awarded to the British division of MBDA, a missiles joint venture owned by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo, the statement further added.
“As the situation in the Middle East worsens, it is vital that we adapt to keep the UK, our allies and partners safe,” Defence Minister Grant Shapps said in the statement.
“Sea Viper has been at the forefront of this, being the Navy’s weapon of choice in the first shooting down of an aerial threat in more than 30 years.”
The announcement comes amid tensions in the Red Sea region after the United States and Britain launched retaliatory coalition strikes and shot down drones by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to heighten.
Earlier, on Saturday (Jan 20), the United States had launched fresh strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting an anti-ship ballistic missile, which as per the US army, was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and was prepared to launch.
“US forces determined the missile presented a threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region and subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defence,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X.
U.S. CENTCOM Destroys Houthi Terrorists’ Anti-Ship Missile
As part of ongoing efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on maritime vessels, on Jan. 20 at approximately 4 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted airstrikes against a Houthi… pic.twitter.com/NYWPHyf7qN
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 20, 2024
On Friday (Jan 19), US Central Command forces conducted strikes against three Houthi anti-ship missiles that they said were aimed into the Southern Red Sea.
Watch | US & Britain unleash typhoons, Tomahawks & nuclear submarine on Houthis in Yemen
‘Strikes against Houthis to continue,’ says Biden
United States President Joe Biden on Thursday (Jan 18) said that the military strikes against the Houthis would continue as he said that the rebel group was still attacking vessels in the Red Sea.
“When you say ‘working, are they stopping the Houthi?’ No. Are they going to continue? Yes,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if the strikes were working.
Washington on Wednesday (Jan 17) re-designated the Houthis as a “terrorist group” and hit 14 Houthi missiles later the same day.
(With inputs from agencies)
