A powerful laser weapon will be added to the Royal Navy’s arsenal in the next three years as the need for weapons to counter drone and missile threats – like those fired by Houthi rebels – grows, the Royal Navy reports.
The DragonFire laser will be installed on a warship in 2027, adding to the Royal Navy’s potent array of air defense weaponry, which includes the Sea Viper and Sea Ceptor missile systems which have recently shot down Houthi targets in operations in the Red Sea with HMS Diamond and HMS Richmond destroyers.
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A burst of the high-intensity beam from the DragonFire laser costs no more than £10 – yet can engage targets – drones, missiles, aircraft – at the speed of light by concentrating it on a target.
The laser has been under development for nearly a decade and underwent tests by government scientists on the Ministry of Defense’s ranges in the Hebrides at the start of this year.
Now, plans have been brought forward five years from 2032 to install the DragonFire laser on a Royal Navy ship under new procurement rules which were introduced this week.
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