ANALYSIS – Britain's Ministry of Defense (MOD) will install lasers on warships designed to shoot down drones starting in 2027. The low-cost DragonFire can hit a 25mm target from 1,000 meters away.
The space-age weapon will work by using an intense beam of light to cut through its target. The MOD hopes the DragonFire system will offer a low-cost alternative to missiles in shooting down attack drones and even mortars.
The MOD said that the laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) could fire at any target visible in the air at around $12.52 per shot.
In comparison, the Sea Viper missiles, previously used by Britain to intercept Houthi drones in the Red Sea, were estimated to cost a staggering $1.26 million each.
“In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement is shifting with it… our widespread reforms will deliver the latest kit and weaponry for our Armed Forces faster,” Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said.
This could have “huge ramifications” for Kyiv's conflict against Russia, Grant Shapps said. The new reforms aimed at speeding up procurement mean the laser, which was originally set to be rolled out in 2032, will now be operational five years earlier than planned.
But, as SkyNews reported:
Shapps said he would look to see if the pace can be increased further “in order for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it”.
“I've come down to speed up the production of the DragonFire laser system because I think given that there's two big conflicts on, one sea-based, one in Europe, this could have huge ramifications to have a weapon capable particularly of taking down drones,” Shapps said at the Porton Down military research hub in Salisbury.
“And so what I want to do is speed up what would usually be a very lengthy development procurement process, possibly up to 10 years, based on my conversations this morning, to a much shorter timeframe to get it deployed, potentially on ships, incoming drones, and potentially on land.
Shapps added: “It's designed to not wait until we have this at 99.9% perfection before it goes into the field, but get it to sort of 70% and then get it out there and then… develop it from there.”
The latest laser trials involved firing the DragonFire at a testbed at the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory's (Dstl's) range in Southern England.
“The DragonFire laser is a testament to the UK's leadership in military technology. We are committed to swiftly deploying this cutting-edge tool to our armed forces, equipping them to confront the evolving threats we face,” emphasized Shapps.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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