The UK demonstrated the use of DragonFire laser weapons with a capacity of 50 kWh
The UK’s DragonFire laser weapon has been tested, destroying test benches and field targets, including drones and mortar shells.
DragonFire, a 50 kW laser, is a solid-state laser consisting of doped glass fiber bundles whose output is converted into a single beam using a UK-developed beam combining system. Mounted on a tower, it also has a secondary laser and an electro-optical camera for target detection and beam correction.
A new video published by the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) gives an idea of its design. It shows the detection and targeting system in action, tests of the laser against static bench targets, and footage of field tests at a training ground where it tracked and hit various targets.
The video also shows DragonFire on board a warship: it disabled a boat, blinded a drone, and shot down a second drone. In addition, the Ministry of Defense published an image of a mortar shell burned by DragonFire.
DragonFire will not be used as a standard weapon in the Royal Navy and British Army. Its function is to act as a technology demonstrator that will provide data for the development of a large-scale second-generation weapon system. This will include not only the development of basic technologies, but also the search for ways to replace foreign-made components with British military versions.
The advantage of a practical laser weapon is not only the ability to hit a target the size of a one-pound coin at a distance of a kilometer, but also to fire a shot at the speed of light. It will also replace defense missiles that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with lasers that cost about $13 per shot, excluding equipment, and have an unlimited “ammunition” supply, provided there is a reliable power source.
