British Army unveils 'cutting edge' laser weapon capable of blasting drones out of the sky

The British Army has introduced a new “cutting edge” high-powered laser weapon that it says can blast drones out of the sky with ultra-high precision.

The weapon, called DragonFire, successfully completed its first field test last week, downing its aerial targets, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a statement on Friday.

DragonFire is a “pinpoint precision” laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) system capable of delivering a high-power laser over long ranges with accuracy equivalent to “hitting a £1 coin a kilometer away distance,” the Defense Ministry said.

“This type of advanced weaponry has the potential to revolutionise the battlespace by reducing reliance on expensive munitions, whilst also reducing the risk of collateral damage,” said UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

Turning on the laser for 10 seconds costs the equivalent of using a heater for just an hour, “usually less than £10 per shot”, the government said.

Although the weapon's maximum range is still classified, the military said it can “engage any visible target.”

“These trials have allowed us to take a big step forward in realizing the potential opportunities and understanding the threats posed by directed energy weapons,” said Paul Hollinshead, head of the UK's National Science and Technology Laboratory. defense.

Several countries, including the United States, Germany and Israel, are studying the use of laser weapons to eliminate drones and missiles from the sky.

The development of these weapons also comes as drones are increasingly used in wars, particularly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Putin's forces have increasingly used Iranian-made “Kamikaze” suicide drones to take out targets in Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has also relied on fleets of similar drones built by amateur engineers to attack invading Russian troops as well as targets in Russia.

Experts say laser weapons have the potential to be a long-term, low-cost alternative to some of the tasks currently used by missiles to eliminate targets in the sky with a lower risk of collateral damage due to their accuracy.

Such directed energy weapon systems can attack targets at the speed of light, using an intense beam of light to pass through the target, causing structural failure or more impactful results if the warhead is targeted, the Defense Department said.