UK warships to get anti-drone DragonFire lasers after record-breaking tests
British Navy ships are set to be fitted with state-of-the-art anti-drone DragonFire lasers after the latest testing showed the weapons capable of ’hitting a £1 coin from a kilometer away’.
In what’s been described as a UK first, the high-powered DragonFire laser took down high-speed drones traveling at up to 650 km/h - double the speed of a Formula One car.
The introduction of the defense weapon follows the Strategic Defence Review and subsequent government commitment to introducing top-of-the-range Directed Energy Weapons.
Set to be implemented on Royal Navy vessels from 2027, the rollout follows a series of weapons tests at the MOD’s Hebrides range.
The trials included a UK first, with the weapons featuring ’above-the-horizon tracking’, targeting and shooting down aerial drones and aircraft.
The announcement comes hours after a naval ship from Russia’s ’shadow fleet’ - part of the elusive deep-sea research unit GUGI - was seen to shoot lasers at RAF aircraft close to UK waters.
The weapons announcement also follows a damning report that claimed the UK lacks a plan to defend itself against foreign military attacks.
The £316 million contract, awarded to MBDA UK, has the potential to create around 600 skilled jobs as part of what’s been labeled the Government’s ’Plan for Change’.
The laser system costs £10 per shot according to the Ministry of Defence, with the weapon accurate enough to ’hit a £1 coin from a kilometer away’.
The weapon is described as more cost-effective than traditional missile systems, with current systems costing upwards of hundreds of thousands of pounds per shot.
The first rollout of the DragonFire weapon will see it fitted to a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer – with the 2027 implementation coming five years ahead of original plans.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said:
“This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the UK and our allies in this new era of threat.
“We are delivering on our Strategic Defence Review by backing British industry and creating hundreds more jobs, making defense an engine for growth across the UK.”
The cutting-edge DragonFire laser will help to create and sustain 590 jobs across the UK, according to ministers.
This includes 200 highly skilled jobs in Scotland, 185 jobs in the South West of England, and 75 jobs in the East of England, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.
It comes amid escalating tensions with Russia, with this week’s incursion into UK waters dismissed by Moscow.
Hours later, Russian officials say Moscow is "not interested in British underwater communications" after its intelligence-gathering spy ship was sighted on the edge of UK waters.
Deputy Editor
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