UK rushes naval laser weapon, as major tank upgrade hits snag

PARIS — The United Kingdom is accelerating work on the DragonFire laser weapon, with a goal of equipping four Royal Navy destroyers with the system starting in 2027, Minister for Defence Procurement Maria Eagle said in a written response to parliamentary questions.

Meanwhile, plans to upgrade the U.K.’s Challenger main battle tank have been impacted by some delays in the supply chain, with additional resources being channeled into the program to resolve the issues, Eagle said in a response on April 1.

The British government in its Spring Statement in March announced plans to spend at least 10% of the Ministry of Defence equipment budget on new technologies such as drones and AI-enabled capabilities, and create a ring-fenced budget of £400 million ($516 million) for a defense-innovation fund.

“We are bringing laser technology to the Navy around five years faster than previously planned, which will protect our Armed Forces, and let us learn by doing,” Eagle said. “As announced in the Spring Statement, additional funding for Defence will be directed toward advancing technology including guaranteeing the in service date for DragonFire.”

Turning DragonFire into an operational capability more quickly will allow the armed forces to make continual improvements in areas like integration, software and overall lethality, the minister said. That will help develop the system itself, as well as inform the choices the MoD makes on future directed-energy weapons, according to Eagle.

DragonFire in January 2024 for the first time destroyed an aerial target with a high-powered test shot, in what the MoD called a major step forward in bringing the laser technology into service. The industry team developing the laser weapon is led by pan-European missile maker MBDA, with partners Leonardo UK and Qinetic.

The U.K. government plans to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP in 2027. That would translate into £14.2 billion additional spending in the 2027-2028 fiscal year compared with 2024-2025, based on the latest data from the Office for Budget Responsibility, more than the £13.4 billion announced in February, according to Eagle.

The U.K. spent an estimated £64.6 billion on defense in 2024, up from £61.9 billion a year earlier.

The ongoing plan to upgrade Britain’s main battle tank to the Challenger 3 version ran into some supply-chain hiccups, Eagle said. The upgraded tank’s initial operating capability is forecast for 2027, with all of the U.K.’s 138 Challenger 3 tanks planned to be in service by the end of 2030.

“Additional resources have been directed towards resolving these issues and the next phase of trials will start in quarter two 2025,” Eagle said. “Progress will be monitored carefully and any impact on the delivery of initial operating capability will be continually assessed.”

The upgrade is being led by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land, with enhancements including a turret wit a 120mm smooth-bore gun, new armor and an active protection system. The approved budget for the upgrade is £1.9 billion, which includes the contract with RBSL, and there have been no increases to the total budget due to technical challenges or inflation, Eagle said .

“We are confident that Challenger 3 will continue to match potential threats throughout its lifecycle, but we will continually review the performance of its specification to ensure that it remains world-leading,” Eagle said .

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——英国国防采购大臣玛丽亚·伊格尔在对议会质询的书面答复中表示，英国正在加快“龙火”激光武器的研发工作，目标是从2027年开始为四艘皇家海军驱逐舰配备该系统。

与此同时，英国“挑战者”主战坦克的升级计划受到供应链延误的影响，Eagle公司在4月1日的一份回应中表示，已向该计划投入额外资源以解决这些问题。

英国政府在 3 月份的春季预算报告中宣布，计划将国防部装备预算的至少 10% 用于无人机和人工智能等新技术，并设立 4 亿英镑（5.16 亿美元）的专项预算作为国防创新基金。

“我们向海军引进激光技术的速度比原计划快了大约五年，这将保护我们的武装部队，并让我们在实践中学习，”伊格尔说。“正如春季预算案中所宣布的，国防部的额外资金将用于推进技术发展，包括确保‘龙火’导弹的服役日期。”

部长表示，加快“龙火”导弹系统的作战部署，将使武装部队能够在集成、软件和整体杀伤力等领域不断改进。据《鹰报》报道，这将有助于系统本身的研发，并为国防部未来定向能武器的选择提供参考。

2024年1月，DragonFire激光武器首次成功进行高功率试射，摧毁了一枚空中目标。英国国防部称这是激光技术投入使用过程中的一大进步。该激光武器的研发团队由泛欧导弹制造商MBDA牵头，合作伙伴包括Leonardo UK和Qinetic。

据 Eagle 报道，英国政府计划在 2027 年将国防开支提高到 GDP 的 2.5%。根据预算责任办公室的最新数据，这意味着 2027-2028 财年将比 2024-2025 财年增加 142 亿英镑的支出，高于 2 月份宣布的 134 亿英镑。

英国2024年的国防开支预计为646亿英镑，高于前一年的619亿英镑。

据Eagle公司称，英国主战坦克升级至挑战者3型的计划遇到了一些供应链问题。升级后的坦克预计将于2027年具备初始作战能力，英国计划在2030年底前完成全部138辆挑战者3型坦克的服役。

“我们已投入更多资源来解决这些问题，下一阶段的试验将于2025年第二季度开始，”伊格尔说。“我们将密切监控进展情况，并持续评估任何对初始作战能力交付的影响。”

此次升级由莱茵金属BAE系统陆地公司牵头，改进内容包括配备120毫米滑膛炮的炮塔、新型装甲和主动防护系统。据Eagle公司称，此次升级的批准预算为19亿英镑，其中包括与RBSL公司的合同金额，总预算并未因技术难题或通货膨胀而增加。

“我们相信 Challenger 3 将在其整个生命周期内持续应对潜在威胁，但我们将不断审查其规格的性能，以确保其保持世界领先地位，”Eagle 表示。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。