The United Kingdom carried out new tests of the DragonFire long-range laser-directed energy weapon. According to a report released on Friday by the British Ministry of Defence, these tests successfully hit various airborne targets. The ministry’s statement, published on the government website, stated that the DragonFire laser-directed energy weapon system successfully carried out the first powerful laser shooting against aerial targets in the United Kingdom. The tests were conducted at a missile range located on the Hebrides Islands.
Using various settings and operating at a distance of many kilometres, the system could kill drones that were coming.
The ministry has indicated that the DragonFire system can engage targets within direct line of sight and can strike “any visible target.” However, the range of action of the DragonFire system is classified. During this testing phase, it was proved that DragonFire can engage airborne targets at proper distances. This is a key step towards the integration of DragonFire into the military. According to the release, the British Army and Navy are contemplating possibly incorporating this weapon into their air defence capabilities into their arsenal.
According to Grant Shapps, the head of the British Ministry of Defence, such cutting-edge weapons can fundamentally reshape the battlefield by lowering the need for costly ammunition and minimising the amount of collateral damage that occurs. The Department of Defence emphasises that the cost of firing a single shot from laser armament is often less than ten pounds, yet the laser weaponry emits as much heat in ten seconds as a conventional heater would in an hour.
The cost of a Sea Viper missile, which is used by the British military to target drones in the Red Sea, is estimated to be approximately one million pounds, according to articles published in The Times. According to the statement, the development of the DragonFire weapon system was made possible by a collaborative investment package consisting of one hundred million pounds from both the industrial and defence sectors.
