Brit warship HMS Diamond blasts Houthi missile out of the sky in Red Sea for first time after rebel attack on cargo ship
A ROYAL Navy warship has shot down a ballistic missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the first time.
HMS Diamond unleashed its devastating Sea Viper system to blast the missile out of the sky, Grant Shapps told The Times.
It was the first time in more than three decades that British warships had engaged an enemy missile in anger.
The Type 45 air defence destroyer was protecting a merchant vessel attacked in the Red Sea on Wednesday.
The vessel had shot down several drones including seven in one night in January.
But it was the first time a Royal Navy warship has shot down a ballistic missile since 1991, during the first Gulf War.
Shapps said: “A commercial ship came under attack by a ballistic missile and HMS Diamond shot down that missile using Sea Viper.”
Each Sea Viper missile costs over £1million.
Shapps said the attack proved how dangerous the world had become.
He said rebel groups like the Houthis were bristling with “very sophisticated weapons” from sponsors such as Iran.
He claimed the incident proved that Rishi Sunak was right to ramp up spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030.
Shapps added: “That gives an indication of a changed world and why the 2.5 per cent is so vital.”
HMS Diamond was deployed to the Red Sea alongside a US carrier group to protect merchant shipping and Israel from Iran-backed attacks.
It can track hundreds of objects the size of a tennis ball from hundreds of miles away with its iconic Samson radar.
Houthi rebels are armed with Iran’s Fateh missiles which can reach over 400 miles.
The Houthis boasted yesterday that they had targeted the Maersk Yorktown ship and an American warship destroyer in the Gulf of Aden.
HMS Diamond fired Sea Viper missiles and its close in Phalanx machine guns to shoot down several drones before rotating with frigate HMS Richmond.
The smaller UK warship shot down a pair of drones using its smaller Sea Ceptor missiles.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, which they say are in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
In January, HMS Diamond was forced to defend itself with Sea Viper missiles as the militants continued their relentless campaign of attacks.
The enormous warship used its formidable Sea Viper missiles to take down the rebel threat in the clash on Saturday.
The same ship has been forced to take on Houthi fighters before as they continue their relentless campaign of aggression in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels are terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships - but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Their warped slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally, Hamas.
However, in reality, there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza are felt across the region – with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased by 50 per cent between November and December as the rebel group’s chiefs pledged their assaults would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s emboldened terror proxy appears undeterred.
IRON FLEET
Just a few days before the January blitz, HMS Diamond and American warships launched a coordinated attack after the Houthis launched their biggest assault.
The US Central Command said the “complex attack” included bomb-carrying drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile.
It said 18 drones, two cruise missiles and the anti-ship missile were downed by F-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the USS Gravely, the USS Laboon and the USS Mason, as well as the UK’s HMS Diamond.
HMS Diamond blasted seven of the 18 drones out of the sky.
It was at least the second time the Type 45 destroyer had deployed its devastating Sea Viper missiles and the first time it had used its deck-mounted anti-aircraft cannon to blast targets at much closer range.
The crew shot down at least some of the drones with the ship’s 30mm DS-30B cannon.
The weapon can fire up to 650 rounds per minute and hit fast moving aircraft at more than 1.7miles away.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said it was the biggest attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.
He believes HMS Diamond was “deliberately targeted” by the rebels.
“Deploying Sea Viper missiles and guns, Diamond destroyed multiple attack drones heading for her and commercial shipping in the area,” Mr Shapps said.
“The UK alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences.”
He confirmed there were no injuries or damage to Diamond and her crew.
How the UK & US have massed a Red Sea fleet
BRITISH and US warships have been readied to blitz Houthi rebels in the Red Sea as tensions hit boiling point in the Middle East.
In December 2023, the US launched a multinational joint-military coalition called Operation Prosperity Guardian to respond to the threats posed by the Houthis in the Red Sea.
The US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin announced the international maritime security force will aim to end the rebel blockade and counter Houthis’ threats around international trade in the area.
So far, the US has deployed its Carrier Strike Group 2 in the Red Sea which includes the flagship aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower – and its escorting Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Gravely, USS Laboon and USS Mason.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond joined the US-led coalition to ramp up the counter-offensive against the Houthis.
Retired Rear-Admiral Chris Parry spoke to The Sun about how the UK and US have prepared their warships to attack Houthi rebels and put them through a storm of over 600 missiles.
He said: “The warships have a very sophisticated radar detection system.
“It’s got a main radar that can detect all sorts of contacts, hundreds of them out to about 400 kilometres, and it’s got a very sophisticated fire control system.”
Chris praised the warship for its specially designed Falcon phalanx Gatling gun that can fire up to 600 rounds a minute as well as having a high number of small calibre weapons on board.
He called it “one of the best anti-air platforms in the world”.
Chris continued: “I think right now the warships are coping pretty admirably with the Houthis’ threat.
“You’ve got an American strike carrier there between the carrier and her battle group with over 600 missiles and possibly even more.”