More lasers: DragonFire downs high speed drone in UK trials
The UK’s Defence Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has tested the DragonFire laser weapon against high speed drones. The successful test clears the way for the system to be installed on naval vessels.
BLUF:
- The UK’s latest DragonFire trials pave the way for the high energy laser to be installed on the Royal Navy’s Type45s.
- A £316 million contract has been awarded to MBDA to continue development of the system and install it on four Daring class ships, the first will be completed within two years.
- The development could significantly improve the Royal Navy’s ability to intercept targets.
DSTL has completed further tests of the DragonFire high energy laser system against a high speed drone target, according to a November 20th announcement on the UK MoD’s website. The tests were conducted against drones that could fly at speeds up to 650 km/h and included “a UK first of above-the-horizon tracking, targeting and shooting down such drones,” the press release states.
“This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the UK and our allies in this new era of threat,” Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said. Although, it is worth noting that the Netherlands has already procured the Apollo high energy laser system from EOS, and has plans to develop it into further variants. Israel has also deployed the Iron Beam against live targets fired from Gaza, and the US has tested and fielded a range of directed energy weapons, including the Leonidus system from Epirus.
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So, the UK is not quite the leading edge in the field of directed energy weapons, but its progress is notable nonetheless. It is also worth noting that lasers have been used experimentally in air defence for decades. The US Navy used a deuterium fluoride chemical laser to intercept a TOW anti-tank missile in flight in 1978, for instance.
Following the demonstration, the MoD has placed a £316 million contract with MBDA to continue development of DragonFire as well as its integration onto the first Type 45 by 2027. The company will work with Leonardo and QinetiQ on the development process.
Once in service, DragonFire will complement the medium and short-range air defence capabilities of the Type 45s. At present, the ships rely on mounted cannons, small arms fire, and the Phalanx close-in weapon system to engage targets like drones. In scenarios where the drones do not pose a threat, they would also allow them to pass. In all cases, DragonFire provides the option to engage a drone without reducing the available ammunition carried by the ship and at a lower price than missiles.
Calibre comment: We need more lasers
Air defence is about protecting valuable objects, be they buildings, people, or ships. Often, the cost of defending them may outweigh the price of the defended object. This is not always the case, but often it is the impact of the object being damaged or destroyed that air defence is guarding against. The West’s adversaries are aware of this, and are also conscious that the West has focused on high end interceptors that can protect against the worst threats an enemy could use with a high degree of certainty. They have focused on developing massive arsenals of weapons that can exhaust an interceptor stockpile. This means that a capability is needed that can repeatedly engage similar targets with a high degree of success. Lasers fit that bill for some target types like drones, although it is not clear whether or not they can be cooled sufficiently quickly to enable conduct mass engagements against large numbers of targets.
It is not a case of one or the other, missiles or lasers. Intercepting an anti-ship ballistic missile or supersonic anti-ship cruise missile is still the preserve of high end air defence missiles. Failure in either of those tasks would have dire consequences for the Type 45 or the ship it is defending. But a readily available and effective solution for drones certainly has its place.
By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on November 22nd, 2025. The lead image shows DragonFire engaging a target at night in Scotland. Credit: UK MoD.
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