The Royal Navy is preparing to equip one of its landing ships with advanced minesweeping drones, as ministers explore options to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. RFA Lyme Bay is slated for a refit that will integrate high-tech equipment, transforming it into a 'mothership' capable of deploying both underwater drones and crewless minehunting boats.
This upgrade is understood to be central to the Navy's strategy for using autonomous minehunters to clear the critical Strait of Hormuz, should such an operation become necessary. The UK is currently collaborating with international allies to develop military plans for re-establishing access through the strait, a vital shipping artery for global oil and gas supplies that has been effectively blockaded by Tehran.
Donald Trump had previously urged allies to dispatch warships to the region to aid in reopening the strait, though Western nations have thus far refrained from doing so. Any potential deployment of RFA Lyme Bay to the strait is not anticipated until the volatile situation stabilises, with the current threat posed by Iranian drones and missiles considered too significant.
A defence source said: 'Whilst no decisions have yet been taken on whether these capabilities will be sent to the Strait of Hormuz, this preventative step gives ministers options should they be needed to help resume the normal flow of merchant shipping.'
Part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, RFA Lyme Bay is primarily a landing and transport ship and has previously been used to deliver humanitarian aid in the Caribbean and the Middle East. The ship had been undergoing routine maintenance in Gibraltar, but was brought to a heightened state of readiness following the outbreak of the Iran war and has been undertaking training drills in the Mediterranean in recent days.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the First Sea Lord, said the conversion was 'a perfect example of how we are building a hybrid navy – one where crewed ships and cutting-edge uncrewed systems work together seamlessly to keep our people safe and our seas secure'.
