On board HMS Diamond as it faces Houthi attacks - BBC News

The BBC witnesses the moment a Royal Navy warship responds when a missile is fired in the Red Sea.

8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, The BBC was on board HMS Diamond during a mission in the Red Sea and Gulf of AdenBy Jonathan BealeDefence correspondent, BBC NewsFrom the first shout of "fireball" the crew of HMS Diamond have just two minutes to react. In that time they have to work out whether the missile, travelling at more than three times the speed of sound, poses a direct threat to their ship and nearby merchant vessels.

We were the first media on board HMS Diamond since she joined the US-led operation to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea. We witnessed the threat first-hand as she prepared to run the gauntlet of Houthi drones and missiles being fired from Yemen.

The captain of HMS Diamond says the Houthis are now using more advanced and more lethal weapons.

Cdr Pete Evans says when the ship first entered the Red Sea in December, one-way attack drones, or UAVs, were the main threat. But he says the Houthis have "moved much more into conventional and ballistic missiles which are harder to defend against and cause much more damage".

Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, Cdr Peter Evans is the ship's commanding officerWe began our voyage as the crew made the final checks to the ship's weapons systems.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68640568

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