British Navy ships to carry drone-zapping lasers by 2027

COLOGNE, Germany — British naval vessels are set to receive new laser weapons within a few years’ time that will make shooting down a missile or a drone as affordable as a pint of ale in central London.

The technology goes by the name of DragonFire, developed by MBDA in conjunction with Leonardo UK and QinetiQ. Conceived over three years, defense leaders in London are celebrating it as a poster child of recent defense-acquisition reforms aimed at fielding technology breakthroughs to U.K. forces more quickly.

Using directed energy to down aerial threats promises to revolutionize the business of air defense because it would obviate the need for missile interceptors that can cost millions of dollars. One DragonFire shot is expected to cost £10 (U.S. $12), according to a British Ministry of Defence statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Militaries around the world have been experimenting with the technology . Ship-borne deployment is perhaps the lowest-hanging fruit because naval vessels can accommodate the bulky equipment. Still, the routine employment of laser weaponry in combat has so far remained largely an ambition .

Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said April 12 the DragonFire weapon will be ready for installation on Royal Navy ships in 2027, capping a £100 million joint investment by industry and the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

Before that, contractor MBDA will conduct additional live-fire testing and begin building the required units, the company said in a statement.

“MBDA [is] proud to lead this laser weapon program that will give the U.K. Armed Forces game-changing operational advantage to protect and defend themselves, and the U.K.’s strategic assets,” Chris Allam, managing director of the company’s Britain operations, was quoted as saying in a statement.

Fielding the laser weapon in 2027 amounts to a time savings of five years from a previous projection of when such technology would reach U.K. forces, according to a Ministry of Defence statement.

The quickened pace is partly due to a new set of procurement rules that took effect this week. The new guidance allows for the fielding of a so-called “minimum deployable capability,” meaning technology so promising it’s worth rushing into the field for operational use while working out any kinks afterwards.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

德国科隆——英国海军舰艇将在几年内接收新型激光武器，届时击落导弹或无人机的成本将与在伦敦市中心喝一杯啤酒的成本一样低廉。

这项名为“龙火”（DragonFire）的技术由MBDA公司联合英国莱昂纳多公司（Leonardo UK）和QinetiQ公司共同研发。该技术历时三年构思而成，伦敦的国防领导人将其誉为近期国防采购改革的典范，旨在更快地将技术突破应用于英国军队。

利用定向能武器击落空中威胁有望彻底改变防空领域，因为它将无需耗资数百万美元的导弹拦截器。英国国防部在X（原推特）上发布的一份声明称，一次“龙火”导弹发射的成本预计为10英镑（12美元）。

世界各国军队一直在试验这项技术。舰载部署或许是最容易实现的，因为海军舰艇可以容纳这些笨重的设备。然而，迄今为止，激光武器在实战中的常规运用仍然主要停留在设想阶段。

英国国防大臣格兰特·沙普斯于 4 月 12 日表示，“龙火”导弹将于 2027 年准备就绪，可供英国皇家海军舰艇安装，届时工业界和英国国防部将共同投资 1 亿英镑。

在此之前，承包商 MBDA 将进行额外的实弹测试，并开始建造所需的单元，该公司在一份声明中表示。

MBDA公司英国业务总经理克里斯·阿拉姆在一份声明中表示：“MBDA很荣幸能够领导这项激光武器计划，该计划将为英国武装部队带来改变战局的作战优势，以保护和捍卫自身以及英国的战略资产。”

英国国防部的一份声明称，激光武器于 2027 年投入使用，比之前预测的英国军队使用该技术的时间节省了五年。

速度加快的部分原因是本周生效的一套新的采购规则。新规允许部署所谓的“最低可部署能力”，这意味着某些技术前景广阔，值得尽快投入实战使用，之后再解决任何技术缺陷。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。