Air Defense Upgrade for Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyers

MBDA will provide its Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) to offer both close-in and local-area air defense for the Type 45 destroyers By DA Staff / 19 Jul 2021

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow DA

MBDA will upgrade the U.K. Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers with a new short-range anti-air missile under a number of contracts for a wider air and missile defense capability upgrade.

The work will see the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) paired with an upgraded Sea Viper Command and Control (C2) system for the first time. 

The six anti-air Type 45 destroyers in the Royal Navy are currently fitted with Eurosam-designed short-range Aster 15 and long-range Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles.

Under the upgrade, the Aster 15 will be replaced with CAMM and the Aster 30 will undergo a mid-life refresh. This will see the missile remain in service throughout the life of the Type 45s. CAMM offers both close-in and local-area air defense, and will complement the Aster 30.

Fitting CAMM onto the Type 45s will give the destroyers a 50% increase in the number of its air defense missiles. Installation will be via 24 additional launcher cells, and the Sea Viper C2 will get a technology upgrade, giving it a major increase in processing power. The existing 48 Sylver vertical launch cells on the Type 45 will now be solely for the longer-range Aster 30 missile.

CAMM has already been delivered to both the British Army and the Royal Navy, where it is the interceptor in both ground- and naval-based air defense systems, enabling these services to equip missiles from a shared stockpile.

In service on upgraded Royal Navy Type 23 frigates, CAMM will also be fitted to Type 26 and Type 31 in the future. 

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

GA-ASI Invests in Dutch Firms to Advance Defense Innovation After BMN

GA-ASI is set to invest in two Dutch companies following their selection at the Blue Magic Netherlands defense innovation event

Apr 25, 2025
AI-Powered Situational Awareness Platform Launched for Armored Vehicles

Maris-Tech Ltd. has introduced Diamond Ultra, a new integrated AI system designed to improve threat detection and situational awareness in armored fighting vehicles (AFVs)

Apr 25, 2025
Radiofrequency Weapon Disables Drone Swarms in Landmark Army Trial

A UK-developed radiofrequency weapon has successfully downed drone swarms in trials, showcasing a low-cost, high-impact solution to modern aerial threats

Apr 25, 2025
Q&A with DEFCROS: Key Insights for the 2025 Expo

DEFCROS Founder Kristijan Ilovača discusses the expo’s rapid growth, international ambitions, and how the event aims to support defense and security innovators

Apr 24, 2025
Precision Airdrop System Receives Marketing Approval

ParaZero has received marketing approval from the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s DECA for the DropAir™ Precision Airdrop System, developed in collaboration with Heven Drones

Apr 24, 2025
Supporting Tactical Operations & Mission Training with Enhanced Reality Systems

FlySight explains how its OPENSIGHT Enhanced Reality System delivers layered AR visualization, real-time video enhancements, and customizable overlays for airborne, tactical, and training operations

Apr 24, 2025

Featured Content

Q&A with DEFCROS: Key Insights for the 2025 Expo

DEFCROS Founder Kristijan Ilovača discusses the expo’s rapid growth, international ambitions, and how the event aims to support defense and security innovators

Apr 24, 2025
Ophir® FoldIR Lens Enhances Long-Range Imaging for Defense & Security Operations

The new Ophir® FoldIR 25-275mm MWIR zoom lens delivers compact, long-range imaging with low-SWaP performance for drones and small gimbal platforms

Apr 17, 2025
Textron Systems to Support Software & Payload Development for Navy’s MCM USV

Textron Systems is set to support the software development and payload integration for the Navy’s Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), focusing on future mission capabilities and advanced system integration

Apr 14, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.