Group : Destroyers
Status : Active
Also Known As : D Class, Daring, T45
Origin : United Kingdom
Contractors : BAE Systems, VT Shipbuilding
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : July 23, 2009
Total Production : 6
Unitary Cost : USD $1.5 billion

The Daring-class destroyers have been designed to perform anti-air warfare (AAW) missions well into the 21st century against advanced airborne threats such as aircraft and missiles. These destroyers will be capable of perform anti-surface, anti-submarine, and other undisclosed missions. Type 45 destroyers will replace current Type 42 AAW destroyers providing vessels with increased size, range and performance.

The Type 45 destroyers will provide improved survivability with revolutionary radar and infrared signature reduction factors for stealth. These ships will also feature reduced life cycle costs. The electrical propulsion system will be one of the keys of the Type 45 destroyers design. Growth potential will allow to assume emerging warfare missions, for example littoral warfare, integrating new weapon systems, sensors and other equipment.

The PAAMS developed jointly by the United Kingdom, France, and Italy will be the main armament of Type 45 destroyers. PAAMS includes the ASTER 15 and ASTER 30 missiles and the Sylver vertical launch system (VLS), the European counterpart to US ESSM, Standard SM-2, and Mk41 VLS respectively. PAAMS (with 48-cell Sylver) and the SAMPSON radar system will provide advanced area defense capability to the Daring-class destroyers.

The Royal Navy plans to purchase up to 12 Type 45 destroyers. A contract has been placed for the first three ships of this class. The HMS Daring destroyer will achieve initial operational capability by 2007.

On August 26, 2004, the second Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyer, named HMS Dauntless, production was launched at BAe Systems' shipyard at Govan in Glasgow. Following the latest British Defense Review the Type 45 program was scaled down from 12 to 8 destroyers.

The current contract between the UK MoD and BAe Systems as Type 45 program prime contractor includes six destroyers with two additional ships completing a class of eight ships. The first six destroyers are valued at £6 billion ($10+ billion) with construction being carried out at BAe System's shipyards on the Clyde and Vosper Thornycroft at Portsmouth, both in the UK.

HMS Daring was launched February 1st, 2006 by the Countess of Wessex at BAE Systems' Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow.

In July 2021 the Royal Navy decided to upgrade all the existing destroyers adding a new 24-cell launcher for CAMM surface-to-air missiles. These ships will get 48 Aster 30 missiles from an upgraded version intead of the previous mix of Aster 30 and Aster 15 missiles.