Coin-Sized Target, Kilometer Away: UK’s New Laser Weapon Tested

The military has taken another step toward using laser weapons to support the country’s Armed Forces. During a test at the Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides Range in Scotland, the DragonFire laser-directed energy weapon system achieved the UK’s first high-power firing of such a laser against aerial targets. The weapon’s range, which can be fired from the ground or from a drone, is classified, but the system can “engage any visible target,” MoD says.

Laser weapons emit an intense beam of light that can cut through a target and cause structural failure. They eliminate the need for expensive ammunition. Laser weapons are a major development in the fight against drones, which can often overwhelm air defense systems by attacking in large numbers. The Ministry of Defence hopes that the tests at Hebrides will pave the way for a low-cost alternative to missiles to shoot down these targets.

The ministry released a video on Monday showing a drone getting zapped by a high-powered laser. It says the test will help it “prove the system’s effectiveness as a means to counter swarms of drones” that can overwhelm current air defense systems. The British Army and Royal Navy are weighing the possibility of deploying such weapons to protect ships, armored vehicles, and aircraft in future battles.

The weapon, which the ministry says is precise enough to hit a coin from a kilometer away, was developed by the Ministry of Defence’s defense innovation unit, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, in partnership with industry partners, including Leonardo, MBDA, and QinetiQ. It is expected to be available by the military within five to ten years.

While the Ministry of Defense hasn’t said when DragonFire will be put into service, it is advancing the program to what it calls a transition phase. This phase will involve training the military on safety measures and developing operational concepts and doctrine to make the system more effective. The ministry also plans to increase research into other uses for the weapon.

The UK isn’t the only nation developing such a weapon. The US is working on a similar project, and Israel has already started testing laser-directed energy weapons in the real world to protect against drones and other aerial threats. In the more than two years of full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia has regularly used budget drones to target Ukrainian forces and drain their limited stockpile of expensive air-defense missiles. In the future, laser weapons could provide a cheaper and more accurate alternative. And while some critics say laser weapons aren’t as effective as existing missiles, a University of Pennsylvania scientist recently wrote in The Conversation that such systems can knock out drones at close range. The UK’s testing has proven that. He also says that the high-energy lasers used in the UK’s tests can be built for a fraction of the price of current missiles.