New Decoy Launchers Enhance Protection for Navy Warships Against Drones & Missiles

New trainable countermeasure launcher systems are set to be installed throughout the Royal Navy’s fleet on Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, and Type 45 destroyers, under the £135 million contract By William Mackenzie / 04 Apr 2024

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

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

Royal Navy ships are set to be outfitted with Trainable Decoy Launchers as countermeasures for missile and drone threats, enhancing the long-term availability and resilience of UK warships. 

Trainable Decoy Launchers for Royal Navy Frigates & Destroyers

The Trainable Decoy Launchers use advanced decoy launcher technology enabling a decoy to be rapidly deployed against modern missile threats, optimizing maneuverability and providing warships the capability to defend themselves without the need to alter course.  

The launcher can fire a range of countermeasures, including chaff, flares and ‘corner reflector’ rounds to target hostile missiles. The acquisition of these launchers comes as new missile and drone technology creates greater threats to fleets, which the latest decoy launchers will assist in countering. 

The £135 million contract, procured by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), was awarded to SEA and will see a fully UK-designed and built solution. SEA have partnered with Chess Dynamics and Frazer-Nash Consultancy (FNC) to deliver the product.   

“In a time of global instability, it is vital we protect the Royal Navy in the best possible way to ensure national security,” stated James Cartlidge, Minister for Defence Procurement.

“With recent attacks towards HMS Diamond and HMS Richmond in the Red Sea, it’s crucial our sailors have the latest technology to best defend themselves and the fleet. The new Trainable Decoy Launcher technology is an improvement on speed and agility and highlights more excellent work from UK companies in backing UK defence.”

Managing Director of SEA, Richard Flitton, commented; “Being awarded a contract of this nature demonstrates the Royal Navy’s trust in SEA which is based on our proven track record of delivering, upgrading, and sustaining high-end maritime capabilities over many years.

“The knowledge and maritime domain expertise within our UK-based team has enabled our long-standing partnership with the Royal Navy, and we’re delighted that this will allow us to support the UK’s defensive capabilities against modern and complex naval threats.”

Andy Start, DE&S CEO, added; “This contract is an excellent example of how dedicated DE&S teams work with our partners in industry and across defence to deliver innovative and agile equipment to our Armed Forces that can be upgraded to keep pace with ever-evolving threats.”

Posted by William Mackenzie Edited by William Mackenzie, Junior Editor and Copywriter practised in digital content creation and writing about defense and marine technology. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

AI-Powered Mission Planning & Target Recognition Software Selected for Long-Range Loitering Munitions

Teledyne FLIR OEM's Prism Supervisor and Prism SKR software is being integrated into Dragoon Technology's UAS under the DIU's Project Artemis

May 22, 2025
GA-ASI Begins Ground Testing of Uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft

GA-ASI has begun ground testing of its YFQ-42A uncrewed jet for the U.S. Air Force’s CCA program, targeting a summer 2025 first flight as part of next-generation combat aviation efforts

May 22, 2025
Support Equipment Solutions for Military Aviation & Aerospace

Defense Advancement showcases WilliamsRDM's support equipment design and manufacturing for military aviation and aerospace programs

May 22, 2025
New Hybrid Solution for Long-Term GNSS-Denied Navigation

Advanced Navigation has demonstrated a major breakthrough with a Hybrid Navigation System designed for GPS-denied environments, combining a strategic-grade FOG INS with a laser velocity sensor

May 21, 2025
New muLTElink Features Improve Command & Control for UAS

uAvionix’s latest muLTElink software update enhances UAS connectivity with automated link management, improving resilience, reliability, and cost-efficiency in complex operations

May 21, 2025
Honeywell Unveils Resilient INS with Anti-Jamming Technology

Honeywell has launched its new HGuide o480 INS, delivering precise, resilient navigation with anti-jamming technology for compact unmanned systems operating in GPS-denied or contested environments

May 21, 2025

Featured Content

New Line of Kinetic-Capable Unmanned Surface Vessels Introduced

Red Cat Holdings enters the maritime autonomy market with a new line of combat-proven USVs, expanding its multi-domain unmanned systems for naval operations

May 20, 2025
Next-Gen Group 2 UAS Enters Production with Extended Endurance & Upgrades

Aurora Flight Sciences upgrades the SKIRON-X Group 2 UAS with greater versatility and tactical mission endurance, as well as announcing the hydrogen-powered SKIRON-XLE variant

May 13, 2025
Discover ANELLO’s SiPhOG™ for GNSS-Denied Navigation at XPO25

CEO of ANELLO Photonics, Dr. Mario Paniccia, will present at Xponential 2025 on the company's SiPhOG-based inertial navigation technology in GPS-denied and GNSS-contested environments.

May 09, 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.