Upgrades to the Sea Viper missile system aboard Daring-class Type 45 destroyers will protect the RN and wider defence community from ballistic missile threats by the late 2020s, under a newly confirmed UK plan.
A ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability will be delivered through the Sea Viper Evolution (SVE) project.
The government confirmed the plans in a written response to a UK Parliament Defence Committee report on the state of the RN.
Funding for SVE Capability 1, which would see the upgrade of missiles to the Aster Block 1 standard, was mentioned in the March 2021 Integrated Review.
An assessment phase for SVE