The UK military has carried out its first high-power firing of a laser against aerial targets – with the weapon using an “intense beam of light” to cut through drones.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said latest trial of the DragonFire system, which typically costs less than £10 a shot, marks a “major step in bringing this technology into service”.
DragonFire is a “line of sight weapon” that can “engage with any visible target” at the speed of light, the MoD has said.
The ministry added that the weapon “boasts pinpoint accuracy” and uses an “intense beam of light to cut through the target, leading to structural failure or more impactful results if the warhead is targeted”.
The laser has been fired at aerial targets for the first time during a trial at the MoD’s Hebrides Range in northwest Scotland.
DragonFire was able to destroy incoming drones from several positions miles away, The Times has reported.
It is hoped the weapon could reduce the UK Armed Forces’ reliance on high-cost ammunition, with the cost of firing the laser for 10 seconds equivalent to using a regular heater for an hour.
“Investments with industry partners in advanced technologies like DragonFire are crucial in a highly contested world, helping us maintain the battle-winning edge and keep the nation safe.”
Shimon Fhima, director of strategic programmes at the MoD, said: “The DragonFire trials at the Hebrides demonstrated that our world-leading technology can track and engage high-end effects at range. In a world of evolving threats, we know that our focus must be on getting capability to the warfighter and we will look to accelerate this next phase of activity.”
The development of DragonFire is being led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), on behalf of the MoD, working with its industry partners MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ.
The weapon system is the result of a £100m joint investment by the MoD and its industry partners.
Russian Laser
The Peresvet is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018. In May 2022 during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov claimed a more advanced version of Peresvet dubbed “Zadira” is now being used by Russian military units in Ukraine. According to Borisov, it is capable of incinerating targets up to three miles away within five seconds. He further added “If Peresvet blinds an object, the new generation of laser weapons physically destroys the target. It is burned up,”. He also claimed the system can blind enemy satellites in orbits of up to 1,500 km and “disabling them during their fly-past by means of laser irradiation”.[However, according to Pentagon, US has not seen any evidence so far to corroborate Borisov’s claim. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskymocked Russian claims as propaganda and compared it to the Wunderwaffen myth during World War II.
According to U.K. Defence Ministry Advanced future military laser achieves UK first
A military laser which could boost the UK Armed Forces with greater accuracy while reducing the reliance on high-cost ammunition has reached its next milestone.
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
During a trial at the MOD’s Hebrides Range, the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system achieved the UK’s first high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets. The range of DragonFire is classified, but it is a line-of-sight weapon and can engage with any visible target.DragonFire exploits UK technology to be able to deliver a high power laser over long ranges. The precision required is equivalent to hitting a £1 coin from a kilometre away.
Laser-directed energy weapons can engage targets at the speed of light, and use an intense beam of light to cut through the target, leading to structural failure or more impactful results if the warhead is targeted.
Firing it for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for just an hour. Therefore, it has the potential to be a long-term low-cost alternative to certain tasks missiles currently carry out. The cost of operating the laser is typically less than £10 per shot.
DragonFire is led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), on behalf of the UK MOD, working with its industry partners MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ.
This milestone demonstrated the ability to engage aerial targets at relevant ranges and is a major step in bringing this technology into service. Both the Army and Royal Navy are considering using this technology as part of their future Air Defence capabilities.
This type of cutting-edge weaponry has the potential to revolutionise the battlespace by reducing the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage, Defence Secretary, Grant Shapp said.
Investments with industry partners in advanced technologies like DragonFire are crucial in a highly contested world, helping us maintain the battle-winning edge and keep the nation safe.
The latest milestone builds on a series of highly successful trials, including the first static high-power laser firing of a sovereign UK capability and demonstration of the DragonFire system’s ability to track moving air and sea targets with very high accuracy at range.
Building on this research, the MOD recently announced its intention to fund a multi-million-pound programme to transition the technology from the research environment to the battlefield.
The latest trial was sponsored by the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology (DST) organisation and Strategic Programmes and enabled by many other agencies across government, ensuring all regulatory and safety approval requirements were satisfied.
These trials have seen us take a huge step forward in realising the potential opportunities and understanding the threats posed by directed energy weapons, Dstl’s Chief Executive, Dr Paul Hollinshead said.
With our decades of knowledge, skills, and operational experience, Dstl’s expertise is critical to helping the armed forces prepare for the future.
The DragonFire weapon system is the result of a £100 million joint investment by the Ministry of Defence and industry. Together, the companies involved are supporting highly-skilled UK jobs in new cutting-edge technologies that are delivering a significant step-change in the UK’s capability in LDEW systems.
In 2017 the MOD’s Chief Scientific Advisor’s Research Programme awarded a £30 million contract to the DragonFire consortium to demonstrate the potential of LDEWs.
This is a really innovative application of science and engineering and is the fruit of sustained investment and effort, Dr Nick Joad, DST said. DragonFire uses cutting-edge science and technology and delivers much greater performance than other systems of a similar class. DragonFire provides a step-change in our ability to deal with high-performance and low-cost threats.
UK defence is continuing to invest in these game-changing technologies and is advancing the plans which will ultimately bring them into service.
The DragonFire trials at the Hebrides demonstrated that our world-leading technology can track and engage high-end effects at range. In a world of evolving threats we know that our focus must be on getting capability to the warfighter and we will look to accelerate this next phase of activity, Shimon Fhima, Director Strategic Programmes for the MOD said.
LDEW research and technology is delivered in partnership and is a cost-effective way of meeting the needs of the MOD while maintaining UK industry’s technology and skills base.
UK defence is continuing to invest in these game-changing technologies and is advancing the plans which will ultimately bring them into service
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