HMS Defender (D36)

HMS Defender is the fifth of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name. Construction of HMS Defender began in 2006, and she was launched in 2009. The ship completed her first sea trials in October–November 2011, and was commissioned during March 2013.

Operational history
Defender's construction began at the BAE Systems Naval Ships (now part of BAE Systems Surface Ships) yard at Govan on the River Clyde in July 2006. The launch date was 21 October 2009. On 21 October 2011, she left Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow on her maiden voyage exactly two years to the day after she was launched, to conduct her first stage of sea trials. These trials were completed in mid-November. On 9 March 2012, she once again left the Clyde to commence a second round of trials, scheduled to last 28 days in the waters off western Scotland. She is scheduled be formally handed over to the Royal Navy this summer and commissioned in 2013.

The ship finally left Scotstoun on 21 July 2012 on her delivery voyage. Defender entered Portsmouth at 1000 on 25 July 2012 where BAE Systems and the Royal Navy conducted a formal handover ceremony. At 1400 that day she raised her White Ensign for the first time as a Royal Naval vessel under the command of Commander Phil Nash RN. HMS Defender was commissioned on 21 March 2013.

Advanced air-defence
The Type 45 destroyers are primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare with the capability to defend against aircraft, drones as well as supersonic sea skimming anti-ship missiles. The Royal Navy describe the destroyers mission as "to shield the Fleet from air attack". The Type 45 destroyer uses the sophisticated Sea Viper air-defence system utilizing the SAMPSON active electronically scanned array multi-function air tracking radar, and the S1850M long-range air surveillance radar. The Sea Viper system is able to control and coordinate several missiles in the air at once, allowing several tracks to be intercepted. It has been suggested that the SAMPSON radar is capable of tracking an object the size of a cricket ball travelling at three times the speed of sound. A core component of the Type 45's Sea Viper air-defence system is the Aster missile, composing of the Aster 15 and Aster 30. MBDA describe Aster as an anti-missile missile capable of intercepting all types of high performance air threats at a max range of 120 km (Aster 30). The Aster missile is autonomously guided and equipped with an active RF seeker enabling it to cope with "saturated attacks" thanks to a "Multiple engagement capability" and a "high rate of fire". Presently the Daring-class destroyers are equipped with a 48-cell A50 Sylver Vertical Launching System allowing for a mix of up-tp 48 Aster 15 and 30 missiles. However, the Type 45 destroyer was designed to accommodate a total of 64-cells, while some reports suggest a total of 72-cells.

Affiliations

 * City of Glasgow
 * City of Exeter
 * Exeter Flotilla
 * TS Exeter (City of Exeter 134) Sea Cadet Corps
 * 13 (City of Exeter) Squadron Air Training Corps
 * Paddle Steamer Waverley
 * Worshipful Company of Farmers