Britain develops directed energy weapons direction, which is gaining cautious popularity worldwide, although country's defense department so far refuses to disclose information about programs British defense-industrial complex currently works on — as Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard noted, further directed energy weapon announcements will be made as needed.
As UK Defence Journal reports, overall over next four years British defense investment plan provides funds for directed energy weapons totaling £490 million (approximately $668 million USD), which is actually not that much.
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Specifically this involves financing DragonFire laser weapons program, as well as developing foundation for next-generation capabilities in this direction. Among everything, this involves plans for developing directed energy weapons for both naval and ground platforms.
Defense Express notes that although laser weapons should be effective in destroying aerial targets like long-range strike drones or cruise missiles and so on in context of economic effectiveness, when one shot will genuinely cost pennies, there are range of other obstacles, both technological and financial, latter involving laser system cost itself.
As example one can cite same British DragonFire, since last year its cost was disclosed — specifically approximately $163 million per unit. Although here too range of factors worth considering — specifically serial products should be cheaper, as well as likely cheaper operational cost.
Also recall previously DragonFire prototype was promised to be delivered to Ukraine — so far at least publicly nothing is known about this, also no hints exist that would even indirectly confirm this weapon delivery to our Defense Forces.
Work on DragonFire currently continues at accelerated pace, specifically they work on reducing this system's dimensions.
Regarding other laser weapon variants British develop, one can recall that back in 2024 precision anti-drone laser system was tested on Wolfhound armored vehicle, which by the way is in Ukraine's Defense Forces service.
Previously Defense Express reported U.S.wants entire fleet of laser vehicles against Shaheds, and what current obstacles are.
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