Britain’s first successful “DragonFire” laser test is a leap for UK defence innovation

Defence officials are celebrating the successful test of a laser weapon against an aerial drone in the Outer Hebrides – the first test of its kind in the UK.

DragonFire, a collaboration between the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the private sector, promises a cost-effective defence against airborne threats, including drones and satellites, and could be tested against armoured vehicles as early as next year.

Officials say the weapon has enough precision to target a £1 coin a kilometre away. Photos released by the Ministry of Defence and showcased on Friday by The Times show the technology in action:a beam of red light shooting into the clouds above the Outer Hebrides where, unseen a kilometre away, a test drone is said to be disabled. 

The system’s single-shot operating cost of £10 makes it significantly cheaper than the £1m required to build and launch a Sea Viper missile from a Type 45 frigate – the usual defence against an unmanned aerial threat.

Chris Allam, UK Managing Director of MBDA, the French firm leading the project, says the technology “will enable frontline commands to meet the rapidly changing threats they face.” Defence Secretary Grant Shapps added that it would save millions by “reducing our reliance on expensive ammunition” and “reducing the risk of collateral damage” from conventional surface-to-air weaponry.  

Laser weapons were once the realm of science fiction and political fantasy – see Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative, or the George Lucas films after which it was nicknamed. 

In recent years, however, allies and rivals have made advances. In 2014 the US Navy fitted a laser-directed energy weapon onto a frigate. China and Russia claim to have tested similar weapons.

Airborne threats have not only dominated media coverage of the war in Ukraine, where drones have been deployed by both sides, but also coverage of the recent aerial attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen against UK and US shipping.

DragonFire began as a speculative project in 2017. Costing over £300m, it has received further support from the government’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), a DARPA-inspired funding body for high-risk, high-reward technologies.

The UK’s Integrated Review Refresh, published in March last year, warned of a “more volatile and contested world” in which emerging threats from AI and other technologies could undermine conventional defences, committing £20bn for the research and development of novel technologies over the next decade. In West Lothian, an Advanced Weapons Integration Centre will test new ways of using lasers in combat.

The MOD claims the weapon will be used for defensive purposes only. It is not clear yet whether such technologies are intended for use, eventually, against human targets.