Royal Navy destroyer obliterates supersonic missile off coast of Scotland
In a historic first a Royal Navy destroyer has gunned down a supersonic missile off the coast of Scotland.
During a test, the HMS Dragon launched a specially-modified Sea Viper missile near the Hebridean islands at a high-speed target emulating the advanced technology used in war today.
The exercise was the first time the Royal Navy has faced the modern-day threat which flies faster and carries out corkscrew and weave manoeuvres. Royal Navy HMS Dragon at Sea off the west Coast of Scotland
Just two and a half seconds after firing from HMS Dragon's silo, the Sea Viper missile accelerated to more than four times the speed of sound.
It then manoeuvred at G-forces which no human being could withstand, to close in and destroy the target.
The training operation is part of the largest live-firing exercise in Europe this year. Royal Navy The first phase of the training exercise is due to end of May 31.
The successful Sea Viper firing as part of Formidable Shield 25 is a huge moment for HMS Dragon,' Commander Iain Giffin, HMS Dragon's Commanding Officer, said.
'Not only does it prove that Dragon's world leading air defence capability functions as it should following an extensive maintenance period, but it also proves our ability to integrate and operate alongside NATO allies and partners.
'Training alongside ships, aircraft and land forces from 11 nations in this complex, multi-domain exercise ensures that we maintain our fighting edge against evolving Hi and Low-tech threats.'
The Formidable Shield joint training exercise sees naval forces battle against uncrewed air and surface systems, subsonic, supersonic and ballistic targets, bringing together allied ships and land-based air defences and air forces.
Almost every participant is due to launch missiles over the course of the month-long workout.
The first phase of the exercise, which involves nearly 7,000 personnel, took place at the Andøya firing range in Norway, before moving on to the Hebrides range.
The training exercise is due to end on May 31.
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STV News
9 hours ago
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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Musk offers stunning olive branch to Trump as bromance disintegrates and threatens to rip MAGA apart
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The spectacular fallout between Trump and Musk - who were political allies for a little less than a year - started in recent weeks when the billionaire started resisting Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill,' arguing that the spending wiped out DOGE's cost-cutting efforts. The fractures in their relationship were made plain for all to see. Whilst Trump was hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office he was asked about Musk's recent criticism. From there, the dam broke. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump told reporters. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX 's government contracts. 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Even with Shapiro on the ticket, Trump claimed, 'I would have won Pennsylvania, I would have won by a lot.' Musk said that was laughable. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk claimed. 'Such ingratitude,' the billionaire added. The 53-year-old Musk also asserted he had more staying power than the 78-year-old president. 'Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years,' Musk said Thursday afternoon, responding to a post from MAGA agitator Laura Loomer. Loomer said she was reporting from Capitol Hill and that Republican lawmakers were trying to determine if it was better to side with Trump or Musk. After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online. Trump asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said the billionaire went 'CRAZY!' 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. The president then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump wrote. Musk then taunted Trump to act. 'This just gets better and better,' he wrote. 'Go ahead, make my day …' In a follow-up post, Musk said he would 'begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.' The Dragon is how NASA astronauts currently travel to the International Space Station - and how supplies make it there. As the fight continued, Tesla shares plummeted. Anti-semitic rapper Kanye West even got involved. 'Broooos please noooooo. We love you both so much,' West wrote. And Musk threw the Epstein bomb. '@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. 'Have a nice day, DJT!' Jeffrey Epstein is a serial child sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Trump pledged to release the files related to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing some pages in February, but most of that information was already in the public domain. 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,' Musk added. Trump didn't directly respond to Musk's Epstein charge, instead posting what amounted to a shrug on Truth Social, while also continuing to back the 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago,' Trump wrote. 'This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' Later he ignored shouted questions from reporters on Musk's Epstein charge as he hosted the National Fraternal Order of Police executive board in the State Dining Room. Asked for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail in a statement: 'This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted.' 'The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,' Leavitt added. A source familiar pointed out to the Daily Mail that 'everyone knows President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Palm Beach Golf Club.' 'The Administration itself released Epstein files with the President's name included. This is not a new surprise Elon is uncovering. Everyone already knew this,' the source continued. The source also mused, 'If Elon truly thought the President was more deeply involved with Epstein, why did he hangout with him for 6 months and say he 'loves him as much as a straight man can love a straight man?'' It was less than a week ago that Trump gave Musk a golden key and a DOGE send-off from the Oval Office.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Elon Musk to halt SpaceX's NASA astronaut missions after Trump's contract threat
The rift between Musk and Trump started following Musk's criticism of the GOP-endorsed "Big Beautiful Bill" and in the latest online spat Musk says he is decommissioning his company's Dragon spacecraft 'immediately' The feud between Elon Musk and President Trump rages on and in their latest online spat Musk has effectively threatened to leave NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station. Once Trump's right hand man, Musk left his special government position as the Department of Government Efficiency - specially set up by the President for the Tesla CEO who seemed to be longing for a top job in Washington - a week ago. The fall out between Musk and Trump has gotten out of control in just a few days, spiralling into a series of petty online fights. The rift between Musk and Trump started following Musk's criticism of the GOP-endorsed "Big Beautiful Bill." The controversial budget bill, feared to drastically hike the national deficit, spurred Musk to sever ties with the Trump administration in dissent. But On Thursday, Musk took things to the next level by asserting that Trump features "in the Epstein files," igniting an already fiery dispute. He also suggested that Trump ought to be impeached, proposing 40 year old Vice President JD Vance as a successor. Musk's incendiary Epstein comment followed Trump's assertion on Truth Social that he'd requested Musk's departure from the administration, alleging Musk had gone "CRAZY!". Trump subsequently hinted at a fresh approach to cut federal expenses, implying potential "Billions and Billions of Dollars" in savings by cutting off SpaceX and Tesla. In the latets move Musk announced on X yesterday that he is decommissioning his company's Dragon spacecraft 'immediately.' It follows Trump's post on Truth Social, implying he might cut all US government ties with Musk's space enterprise, SpaceX. On X user responded: "Trump just set back US space program by a decade," while another wrote: "How did this go from 0 to 100 so quickly? What's actually going on?" Just two months earlier, SpaceX's Dragon capsule played a critical role in saving astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore after their 286-day stint on the ISS. The cessation of the Dragon service leaves NASA bereft of a reliable American craft for shuttling astronauts to the ISS and back, Currently, four NASA astronauts reside on the ISS after the safe return of Williams and Wilmore. It is not yet clear whether Musk will permit the return of those astronauts aboard the Dragon capsule- a reusable spacecraft designed to transport cargo and astronauts to the ISS. Despite NASA having an alternative arrangement with Boeing for the Starliner spacecraft, persistent technical setbacks render it unsuitable for crewed missions as of now.
