British Navy HMS Dauntless guided missile destroyer upgraded with new engines
Leonard T. Koonce
2 min read
According to a Tweet posted by Navy Lookout on February 4, 2021, the British Navy HMS Dauntless guided missile destroyer is in the Cammell Laird Wet Basin for integration and testing after installing new engines installed as a Power Improvement Package. (PIP). The ship will be put back into service in mid-2021.
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The British Navy HMS Dauntless guided missile destroyer sits in the Cammell Laird Wet Basin. (Image source Twitter Navy Lookout)
In 2019, Dauntless underwent a regenerative overhaul in Portsmouth before traveling to Birkenhead in May 2020 as the first Type 45 to have new generators installed as part of the Power Improvement Project. Its return to service date is scheduled for 2021.
HMS Dauntless is the second Type 45 or Daring air defense destroyer ship in service with the British Royal Navy. The ship was launched in January 2007, was handed over to the Royal Navy in December 2009 and was officially commissioned in June 2010.
The Type 45 destroyer, also known as Class D or Daring, is a class of six guided missile destroyers built for the British Royal Navy. The class is primarily designed to conduct anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare missions and is built around the PAAMS (Sea Viper) air defense system using SAMPSON AESA and S1850M long-range radars. Type 45 destroyers are the backbone of the Royal Navy.
The Principal Anti-Aircraft System (PAAMS) is a joint program developed by France, Italy and the United Kingdom for an Integrated Anti-Aircraft System. The prime contractor is EUROPAAMS, a joint venture between Eurosam (66%) and UKAMS, a subsidiary of MBDA (33%). In the UK, PAAMS has received the Sea Viper designation.
Type 45 is 152.4 m long, 21.2 m wide, 7.4 m drafty and has a displacement of 8,500 tonnes. The vessel is powered by two Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines, each developing 21.5 MW (28,800 shp) and two Wärtsilä 12V200 diesel generators, each developing 2 MW (2,700 shp). It can reach a top speed of 30 knots (56 km / h) with a cruising range of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 knots (33 km / h).
The Type 45 is armed with the Sea Viper air defense system, with a 48 cell Sylver A50 VLS (Vertical Launching System) capable of launching Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles with a range of 1.7 to 30 km and Aster missiles. 30 with a range of 3 to 120 km. The ship is also armed with two Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, one 4.5-inch Mk 8 BAE naval gun, two 30mm Oerlikon cannons, two Phalanx CIWS (Close-range Weapons System), two miniguns and six general purpose machine guns. .
