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4w ago

UK Awards £316 Million DragonFire Contract to Equip Type 45 Destroyers From 2027

The deal moves the laser from trials to shipboard use to counter cheap drone threats with a low-cost layer of defence.

A DragonFire laser test-fired in the Hebrides Range in Scotland, January 2024
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract to fit two DragonFire laser directed energy weapons to Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers. (Credit: Dr Lee Willett)
Image of the DragonFire laser system at the MBDA facility in Stevenage, UK. (Image credit: Jack Eckersley/Crown Copyright)
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Overview

  • The Ministry of Defence signed a £316 million agreement with MBDA UK for an initial two DragonFire fits on Type 45 destroyers from 2027, with a government commitment to two further fits.
  • Recent Hebrides trials tracked, engaged and destroyed drones flying up to 650 km/h, achieving the UK’s first above-the-horizon laser intercept.
  • The system’s cost per shot is about £10 and it is precise enough to hit a £1 coin at 1 km, improving the cost-exchange against proliferating uncrewed threats.
  • Shipboard integration focuses on shrinking the footprint, automating operation for a single operator, and linking the weapon into the combat management system.
  • MBDA leads the programme with QinetiQ and Leonardo, supporting around 590 UK jobs as the UK becomes the first European nation to bring a high-power laser capability into service.