Royal Navy: Revolutionary laser weapon which can be used on new Type 26 and 31 ships destroys drones in test

Dragonfire, a weapons system which can burst a high intensity beam, is capable of bringing down drones, missiles and other aircraft. After nearly a decade in development and an investment of around £100m, it’s been successfully tested by government scientists on the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) ranges in the Hebrides. The Royal Navy is planning on potentially using the system on its upcoming Type 26 and Type 31 warships.

DragonFire is a ‘laser-directed energy weapon’ which was developed by UK industries working with the Government’s defence laboratories, Dstl. It can engage any visible target from very long ranges - with the precision of equivalent to hitting a £1 coin from a kilometre away. It can in theory also be used to hit targets travelling at light speed.

If an aircraft is hit by the beam, it can cause structural failure or more impactful results if the warhead is targeted. The cost of using the weapon is proportionate to sing a regular heater for just an hour - typically less than £10 a shot. Defence secretary Grant Shapps said: "This type of cutting-edge weaponry has the potential to revolutionise the battlespace by reducing the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage.

"Investments with industry partners in advanced technologies like DragonFire are crucial in a highly contested world, helping us maintain the battle-winning edge and keep the nation safe." A series of successful showed the Dragonfire system was able to track moving air and sea targets with very high accuracy.

The British Army is also considering whether to use the technology. Dr Paul Hollinshead, Dstl’s chief executive, 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, from the MoD's Defence Science and Technology division, 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."