‘HYDRA’ frigate: Because he chose the gun to intercept the Huthi drones.

It is located in Red Sea participating in EUNAVFOR ASPIDES had its first involvement. He put two UAVs on Aden Bay to protect a merchant ship. Of particular interest is the way he reacted… When the frigate radar “HYDRA” was moving in a direction towards the merchant ship, accompanied by the Greek frigate, the Governor had the ability to “exhaust” two of the total sixteen anti-aircraft ESSM missiles in his arsenal in order to shoot down both unmanned UAVs. However, he chose to command their capture and fire with the powerful 5-inch MK45Mod2A gun. After all, the two drones were reportedly at a sufficiently long distance to be “locked” by the two Phalanx independent radars, which the “HYDRA” has on the bow and on the back of the ship over the hangar of the organic helicopter S-70 Aegean Hawk. As the maximum range of missile engagement of Mk15 Phalanx reaches nearly 1400 meters, with the effectiveness increasing as the target approaches and touches the absolute at about 500 meters. Already, the 127mm gun had been granted the anti-aircraft ammunition planned and the Captain’s ‘fire’ command began the firestorming towards the upcoming drones. The Pre Formed Fragment Shells missiles, which were fired by the gun, have the characteristic of exploding at a short distance and in front of the target firing fragments. The fire, but mostly the explosions, as they all show, were perceived by UAV operators, which changed immediately, as the risk of shooting them simply with a gun was immediate. The assessment of the Greek Staff is that it was probably a surveillance drones and information collection rather than armed with manned UAVs. In any case experienced Navy Commands with knowledge of the capabilities of MEKO frigates emphasize in Onalert.gr that the Governor and crew of the frigate “HYDRA” functioned in the most appropriate way. And they have proved that they have the education and the readiness to face every threat. The use of ESSM missiles would result in the destruction of the two drones, but they probably did not pose a threat to both the Greek frigate and the merchant ship that he accompanied. However, the main conclusion is that the ship’s radars identified and captured two small targets from a sufficiently long distance while the two UAVs had almost simultaneously been detected by the autonomous Phalanx radars with their operators fully prepared to activate them if the threats approached within range of firing. In any case, despite the fact that the frigate “HYDRA” is not a modern ship with the capabilities of the other Surface Units operating in the area under Operation “ASPIDS” but also the “PROSPERITY GUARDIAN” the means available operated to the maximum. At the same time, however, the issue of modernising the four Frigates MEKOs, as well as the acquisition of new modern Surface Units, comes back to the fore. If the frigate “HYDRA” had a gun of similar capabilities with those of the Italian destroyer “CAIO DUILIO”, either Super Rapido or Strales with the ammunition analogues it is given that it would have shot down both of the Huthi drones with minimal shots. By Kostas Sarika / Source: OnAlert.gr