2024-01-21T04:55:36+00:00
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/ The British Ministry of Defense said it will spend 405 million pounds ($514 million) to upgrade a missile system that the Royal Navy is now using to shoot down hostile drones over the Red Sea.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Sea Viper air defense system will be upgraded with missiles equipped with a new warhead and software that will enable it to counter ballistic missile threats.
The Ministry of Defence said the contracts were awarded to the British unit of MBDA, a missile-making joint venture owned by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
“As the situation in the Middle East deteriorates, it is essential that we adapt to keep the UK, our allies and partners safe,” Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in the statement.
“The Sea Viper was at the forefront of this, being the Navy’s weapon of choice for the first shootdown of an airborne threat in more than 30 years,” he added.
US and British naval forces in the Red Sea shot down drones and missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi movement this month as the conflict between Israel and Hamas spread to other parts of the region.