British warships will carry DragonFire laser to shoot down drones

Royal Navy warships will soon be carrying a laser weapon designed to shoot down enemy drones.  

The senior service of the British military awarded MBDA a contract worth almost $430 million (£316 million) for the DragonFire laser weapon.  

MBDA received the contract after recent trials at a U.K. military range where the DragonFire directed energy weapon shot down unmanned aerial systems flying up to 400 miles per hour.  

The contract envisions the first DragonFire directed energy weapons to be delivered to the Royal Navy starting in 2027, five years faster than originally planned. The initial plan is to equip the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 Daring-class missile-guided destroyers.  

“This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the UK and our allies in this new era of threat,” British Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said in a government press release.  

Lasers, or directed energy weapons, utilize an intense beam of light to engage targets at the speed of light, causing either direct physical damage to the incoming enemy system or detonating its explosive material.  

The DragonFire is also very accurate. According to the British military, it can hit a £1 coin from around 1,100 yards away. 

“This latest contract for DragonFire is another significant milestone. It allows us to continue with the next phase of the programme and re-affirms the UK’s intent to be at the forefront of laser directed energy weapons. The success of recent DragonFire trials are a testament to our MoD and Industry team delivering a truly game-changing weapon system into the hands of the Royal Navy,” Chris Allam, MBDA’s Managing Director for the United Kingdom, stated. 

A cost-effective solution  

Another enticing aspect of the DragonFire is its cost-effectiveness.  

The prevalence of cheap suicide drones that can do a lot of damage has forced militaries around the world to seek alternative solutions to minimize the cost of intercepting them.  

Indeed, according to data provided by the U.K. military, every DragonFire shot costs the British taxpayer only approximately £10 (or $13.5). And if there are multiple threats and there is a need for several seconds of firing to take them out, the cost does not increase significantly: the cost of using the DragonFire for 10 seconds straight is the equivalent of running a regular heater for about an hour.  

A Shahed-type suicide drone costs around $35,000. So, having the ability to shoot it down for just a fraction of what it costs is economically beneficial. It is even more beneficial if one considers the alternative, which is using standard air defense missiles that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions, depending on the munition).  

The DragonFire promises to offer the Royal Navy a cost-effective and precise weapon system to deal with future threats.

Feature Image: During a trial at the MOD’s Hebrides Range, the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system achieved the U.K.’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. (British Ministry of Defence)

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