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Olympics Desk The British Navy will be using its Type 45 destroyer naval frigates to safeguard the 2012 London games, an acceptance that the Olympic Games in London will require "extraordinary" security preparedness. The potential of a 9-11 attack on the 2012 is figuring large on the minds of the 2012 security chiefs with plans in place to "moor one of the navy's new Daring class Type 45 destroyers in the Thames estuary", reports The Sunday Times correspondent David Leppard. The Type 45 destroyers are able to "engage a large number of targets simultaneously and defend aircraft carriers or groups of ships, such as an amphibious landing force, against the strongest future threats from the air. A versatile warship, the Type 45 will provide unprecedented detection and defensive capability and vastly improved living standards when the First of Class, Daring, enters service in 2009.They will be capable of contributing to worldwide maritime and joint operations in multi-threat environments, providing a specialist air-warfare capability." - BAE Systems "The Type 45’s main armament is the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), a world-beating surface-to-air missile system developed under a trinational programme by France, Italy and the UK. This advanced weapon system will defend the Type 45, her consorts and other task force vessels against highly manoeuvrable hostile incoming aircraft and missiles approaching at subsonic and supersonic speed, individually or in salvoes." The Greek navy in 2004 worked closely with th US and had war vessels moored in Piraeus to provide security assistance during the Athens Olympics. Currently if the UK is to be attacked by terrorists who have hijacked a plane the RAF will be deployed with two Tornado GR4 fighters currently on "permanent standby" in Norfolk and can launch with 15 minutes notice. Security sources indicate that the London Olympic Games will be a "likely" target for a big Al Qaeda attack. photo credit: MOD
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