Royal Navy warships are to be fitted with a drone-busting laser capable of hitting a £1 coin from 1,000m away. It had been expected that the DragonFire weapon, which costs £10 per shot, would be in operation from 2032.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the earlier than expected rollout on Friday (April 12), attributing the success to a raft of defence procurement reforms which came into effect this week.
Laser-directed energy weapons can engage targets at the speed of light. They use an intense beam of light to blast through targets, sparking structural failure or even stronger results if a warhead is targeted.
DragonFire has the potential to be a long-term, low-cost alternative to certain tasks missiles currently carry out, such as shooting down attack drones, according to the MoD.
It says that investing in the cutting edge laser technology puts Britain at the forefront of defence capabilities. DragonFire is also expected to play a significant role in reducing challenges faced by traditional stockpiles.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement: “In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement is shifting with it. We need to be more urgent, more critical and more global.
“Our widespread reforms will deliver the latest kit and weaponry for our Armed Forces faster and help identify export opportunities that can boost the UK economy.
“DragonFire shows the best of the UK at the forefront of military technology, and we will not delay in getting it in the hands of our military to face down the threats we’re facing.”
Mr Shapps said the UK plans to add DragonFire to its arsenal by 2027, but is working to see if prototypes can be sent to Ukraine before then even if not 100 percent refined.
He said: “I’m absolutely certain that what we’ve got going on here is very special, and a level that other countries are unlikely to be replicating because it’s so cutting-edge. The product itself is genuinely years ahead.”
DragonFire focuses 37 channels of 1.5kW laser beams arranged in a hexagonal array, combining them with mirrors to merge and amplify the power.
Tim Kendall, a DSTL senior laser physicist who helped build the weapon, told the Telegraph this creates a perfect laser beam which can be fired through a telescopic lens.
The weapon is invisible and doesn’t make a sound as the wavelength of light emitted is roughly one micron so cannot be seen by the naked eye.
Mr Shapps told the Telegraph the system is powerful enough to neutralise faster-moving projectiles, including ballistic missiles. He said: “It’s not just the slow drones at 120 knots. It should be capable, ultimately, of taking down expensive incoming missiles as well.”
It has been trialled at the MoD’s Hebrides Range, which saw the UK’s first high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets.
DragonFire’s range is classified, but it is a line-of-sight weapon which the MoD says can engage with any visible target. Firing the weapon for 10 seconds costs the equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour, according to the MoD.
It is the result of a £100million joint investment between the MoD and firms, including MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ. The MoD’s Chief Scientific Advisor’s Research Programme awarded a £30m contract to the DragonFire consortium to demonstrate the potential of laser directed energy weapons in 2017.
