Video released by the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) has shown the capabilities of a laser system that can zap drones which will be fitted on a British navy vessel within the next two years.
The U.K. MOD said the DragonFire had successfully downed drones traveling at more than 400 miles an hour during tests ahead of its rollout as the first high-power laser capability to enter service from a European nation.
The device will give "a cutting-edge capability to help defend the U.K. and our allies in this new era of threat," U.K, Minister for Defense Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard said in a statement.
This screengrab from a UK Ministry of Defense video shows the DragonFire system. (Screengrab from UK MOD)
Why It Matters
The MOD’s announcement comes in the same week as London condemned Moscow, accusing the Russian spy ship Yantar of using lasers for the first time to disrupt Air Force (RAF) pilots tracking its activity.
The DragonFire also offers a much cheaper than traditional missile-based air defense. It will make the U.K. the first European country to field an operational naval laser, placing it as a key leader within NATO as it faces the growing threat posed by Russian hybrid attacks on the alliance which include flying drones into its airspace.
What To Know
In a statement, the U.K. MOD said that the DragonFire laser had shot down high-speed drones traveling at up to 400 miles an hour in new trials in Scotland.
The defense ministry released video of the tests in its range in the Hebrides and described how they showed how drones could be targeted and shot down using above-the-horizon tracking and targeting.
The laser system costs just £10 ($13) per shot and is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometer away, a far cheaper alternative to traditional missile systems, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per shot, the statement said.
The DragonFire will be fitted to a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by 2027, half a decade ahead of schedule and the manufacturer, MBDA U.K, has a £316 million ($412 million) contract to deliver the systems.
MBDA is a European defense firm known for missile systems such as Mistral and the Aster family of air-defense effectors but is also involved in laser projects.
MBDA U.K. will work in partnership with the firms QinetiQ and Leonardo to develop the capability of the DragonFire which will be continuously improved, the statement added.
What People Are Saying
U.K. Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP: "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."
What Happens Next
The MOD statements point to the imminent supply of laser weapons for the British Navy as NATO deals with the threat posed by Russia, which world leaders have warned could target other alliance members by the end of the decade.
The DragonFire also highlights how laser directed-energy weapons are considered key to layered air defense of the future, with MBDA and German firm Rheinmetall last month supplying Germany with a laser-weapon demonstrator for naval use.
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