Cheap and Effective Weapon Against UAVs: The Latest DragonFire Laser System Has Been Successfully Tested in the UK
The new DragonFire laser system was tested on the territory of the Hebrides Range military training ground.
This is reported by the official website of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom.
The tests of the DragonFire laser system were the first in the UK. They confirmed the possibility of effective use of the system against air targets such as quadcopters and military drones.
The development of the DragonFire laser system is funded by the Ministry of Defense and should provide better capabilities in destroying air targets in the future.
According to the initial plans, the system will be used by warships, which should provide better capabilities in destroying small air targets.
The maximum range of destruction of air targets is currently unknown. But according to the developers, the complex takes 10 seconds to destroy a target like a quadcopter.
The Ministry of Defense is interested in developing laser systems due to the low cost of their use. For example, the cost of one shot with the DragonFire system is 10 pounds (at the time of publication, this is equivalent to about 480 UAH).
Development of the system began in 2018 under the leadership of leading UK companies such as: MBDA UK, Leonardo UK, and QinetiQ Group.
The Royal Navy is most interested in purchasing this type of complex. This is due to the fact that the system will provide better capabilities in destroying air targets in the line of sight, and its cost will be several times less than the launch of a single guided missile.
