Dramatic video shows Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon shooting down supersonic missile

Dramatic video shows a Royal Navy warship shooting down a supersonic missile in a “historic first” for the UK’s defence force.

HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer based in Plymouth, successfully intercepted a high-speed target designed to mimic the advanced weaponry seen in recent conflicts.

The footage shows a burst of fire and smoke as the destroyer uses its Sea Viper anti-air missile system to neutralise the incoming threat, which was capable of complex "corkscrew" and "weave" manoeuvres.

The Sea Viper system enabled the Royal Navy to shoot down a ballistic missile in combat for the first time in 2024.