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The DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system has reportedly achieved the UK’s first high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets during a trial at the MoD’s Hebrides Range.
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 kilometer 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 defense capabilities.
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) organization and Strategic Programmes and enabled by many other agencies across government, ensuring all regulatory and safety approval requirements were satisfied.
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.
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.
Dstl’s Chief Executive, Dr Paul Hollinshead, said; “These trials have seen us take a huge step forward in realising the potential opportunities and understanding the threats posed by directed energy weapons. With our decades of knowledge, skills, and operational experience, Dstl’s expertise is critical to helping the armed forces prepare for the future.”
Dr Nick Joad, DST, said; “This is a really innovative application of science and engineering and is the fruit of sustained investment and effort. 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.”
