HMS Daring, the first of a new class of air defence warships for the Royal Navy, has successfully completed builder's sea trials.
HMS Daring, the first of a new class of air defence warships for the Royal Navy, has successfully completed builder’s sea trials. BAe Systems said the Type 45 destroyer performed above all expectations during a month long voyage off the west coast of Scotland.
Her electric propulsion system, comprising generators powered by gas turbines, allowed her to cover more than 4,500 miles on an average of 35m³ of fuel per day. Yet it took the 7,350-ton ship just two minutes to reach a top speed of 31.5 knots from a standing start, comfortably exceeding her design speed of 28 knots.
Thanks to her stealth characteristics, Daring has the radar cross section of a fishing boat, but her own Sampson radar is able to pick up an object the size of a cricket ball travelling at three times the speed of sound while simultaneously tracking dozens of other threats.
These are then dealt with using her Seawolf missiles. Daring is due to enter service in 2009.
