Type 45 Daring class

   The Royal Navy's Type 42 or Sheffield class destroyers were replaced by the Type 45, also referred as the Daring class. The Type 45 ships are the largest surface combatants operated by the Royal Navy since World War II. Also these are the most advanced warships operated by the Royal Navy. It is claimed that the class provides an air defence capability 'several orders of magnitude' greater than that offered by the Sheffield class.

   The Type 42 class was originally to be replaced by a joint Anglo-French-Italian project called 'Project Horizon'. However, this initiative was beset with delays and arguments. The Royal Navy wanted a larger destroyer, which would operate in the Atlantic ocean, could patrol large areas and provide air defense for the fleet. On the other hand France and Italy desired for smaller warships to operate in the Mediterranean region. When the project stalled, the US Navy offered to lease to the Royal Navy five Ticonderoga class AEGIS cruisers, however this offer was declined. In 1999, the Royal Navy withdrew from the joint project and commenced the development of the Type 45 class. Significant changes were made to the original project. The original production contract was placed with Marconi Electronic Systems (now BAE Systems) as the prime contractor The first ship, HMS Daring, entered service in 2009.

   In total, six Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyers were built, including HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless, HMS Diamond, HMS Dragon, HMS Defender and HMS Duncan. These replaced a total of 12 Sheffield class destroyers. Initially  the Royal Navy had plans to commission a further six ships, leading to total class of 12 units, to replace the previous Scheffield class on the one-to-one basis. However this plan was not executed. All of the vessels were assembled and launched at BAE's facilities at Yarrow.

   Several features were incorporated into the Daring class, which were earmarked for the Project Horizon. These include some of the internal architecture of the ship, and the Principal Anti-Aircraft Missile System (PAAMS). PAAMS strengthened the Type 45's air defence capability, and incorporate the Aster-30 missile, which has a range of 80 km. Also there are Aster-15 missiles with a shorter range. The system can intercept super-agile missiles fitted with re-attack modes, together with the full envelope of current and anticipated air threats. Furthermore, the ship can engage missile threats operating either individually or in salvos. In addition to PAAMS, it is hoped that the Daring class will eventually deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.

   While Type 45 was expected to have cheaper operating overheads than Type 42, the cost of its individual spare parts could be slightly higher, although the ships field a smaller complement of crew and officers. The ships feature a comprehensive suite of sensors. An S1850M radar provides wide-area, long-range search. This is reinforced by an MFS-7000 bow-mounted sonar. Air defence combat management is co-ordinated by the Sampson radar system, combining surveillance and tracking roles in a single system. This can detect and track hostile aircraft or missiles while providing guidance for the ship's own weapons systems. This radar is more capable than the radars used on the Franco-Italian Horizon class destroyers.

   The ship's sensors are linked together by the combat management system, while communications with other vessels and satellite systems are facilitated through the fully-integrated communications system.

   Ship protection is provided by the Surface Ship Torpedo Defence System. Furthermore, the ship can embark a complement of 60 Royal Marine Commandos with a supporting helicopter. The flight deck accommodates the Royal Navy's Merlin helicopter, although initially the ships operated with Lynx.

   The Type 45 or Daring class features a revolutionary WR-21 advanced gas turbine engine which will afford significant cost savings. The engines features an Integrated Electric Propulsion System, which eliminates the gearbox and increases fuel efficiency.

   The ship's interior has been designed with 'room for growth' as a major consideration. While the ship's complement include around 190 crew, there is an option to increase this to 235. This permit the accommodation of specialist personnel, which allow for an increased range of missions, such as humanitarian relief, to be performed.