HMS Dauntless off to Falklands

HMS Dauntless is armed with high-tech Sea Viper anti-air missiles

HMS Dauntless off to Falklands 

One of the Royal Navy's most advanced new warships is being sent to the Falkland Islands, the Ministry of Defence said.  Officials said the deployment was long planned, however, and not a riposte to increased tensions over the sovereignty of the islands.

HMS Dauntless, a Type 45 destroyer, is due to set sail for the South Atlantic on her maiden mission in the coming months to replace frigate HMS Montrose.

It comes amid a diplomatic war of words over renewed Argentinian claims to what it calls Las Malvinas, with David Cameron accusing them of "colonialism".

The issue is especially sensitive as the 30th anniversary approaches of the liberation of the islands by Britain from an Argentine invasion.

A Royal Navy spokesman rejected suggestions the decision to send the ultra-modern destroyer to the region represented an escalation of the UK's position.

"The Royal Navy has had a continuous presence in the South Atlantic for many years. The deployment of HMS Dauntless to the South Atlantic has been long planned, is entirely routine and replaces another ship on patrol," he said.

Sister ship HMS Daring has already been sent to the Gulf for her first mission amid heightened tensions with Iran over threats by Tehran to block a busy shipping lane.

They are the first of six new destroyers which will replace the Type 42 vessels which started service in the 1970s. With crews of 180, they are the first to be built with a futuristic design that makes it difficult to detect using radar.

The Type 45s are armed with high-tech Sea Viper anti-air missiles and can carry 60 troops. They also have a large flight deck which can accommodate helicopters the size of a Chinook as well as take on board 700 people in the case of a civilian evacuation.

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Ex-Army chief in Falklands warning

Ex-Army chief in Falklands warning.

British armed forces would be unable to reclaim the Falkland Islands if they were seized by Argentina, the former head of the Army has said.

General Sir Mike Jackson believes the demise of jets capable of launching from aircraft carriers would make it "just about impossible" to recover key strategic strongholds.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Sir Mike said British defences on the Falklands have improved "by a factor of several tens" since 1982. But the 67-year-old conceded losing the islands - which Argentina calls the Malvinas - is not out of the question, saying, "never say never".

He told the newspaper: "The official answer will be that it would not be possible for the Argentinians to gain a foothold on the islands, in particular to take Mount Pleasant airfield, which is key to the British defence plan.

"We have a large international-sized airfield to allow for very rapid reinforcement by air, should circumstances so require. But I suppose I have learned in life, never say never. What if an Argentinian force was able to secure the airfield? Then our ability to recover the islands now would be just about impossible.

General Sir Mike Jackson has said British armed
forces would be unable to reclaim the
Falkland Islands if they were seized by Argentina

"We are not in a position to take air power by sea since the demise of the Harrier force."

Tensions have been mounting between Argentina and the UK following months of escalating rhetoric. Buenos Aires reacted angrily in 2010 when Britain allowed offshore drilling for oil in the islands' waters, and the Argentinians were also irritated by the recent announcement of Prince William's forthcoming RAF posting to the islands.

The latest volley of comments has seen the South American country's president, Cristina Fernandez, hitting back at David Cameron, who accused Argentina of colonialism. She said: "When they say these things it's exactly because they don't have reasons or arguments."

Asked about job cuts in the armed forces, Sir Mike said the fewer numbers were not too much of a problem as long as the UK is not engaged in a one-on-one battle with another country. "This will be the smallest Army since the Napoleonic wars, he said. "My understanding is that we're heading for 82,000.

"Right now there is no existential threat to the UK. It's very hard to see when we would be involved in state-on-state warfare which threatens the existence of this country. If that were to happen, there would be time to move back to where we used to be."


© Press Association 2012