Forget Star Wars, laser weapons are here for real after the UK successfully fired a high-powered beam at aerial targets.
Named DragonFire, the laser costs around £10 per shot. In comparison, destroyer missiles can cost around £1million each.
The range of the weapon remains classified, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement that the precision involved in the testing was equivalent to hitting a £1 coin from a kilometre away.
It is a line-of-sight weapon and can ‘engage with any visible target’.
According to The Times, it destroyed incoming drones from several miles away, and could be ready for use on ships in five years.
Testing of the system, which cost £100 million to develop, took place at the Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides Range in Scotland.
‘These trials have seen us take a huge step forward in realising the potential opportunities and understanding the threats posed by directed energy weapons [DEWs],’ said Dr Paul Hollinshead, chief executive of the MoD’s defence science and technology laboratory (DSTL).
‘With our decades of knowledge, skills, and operational experience, DSTL’s expertise is critical to helping the armed forces prepare for the future.’
Laser weapons emit electromagnetic energy at a wavelength that the target will most effectively absorb, causing it to melt. The laser-directed energy beam can cut through targets to disable them – or do more damage if hitting a warhead.
DEWs can also engage with targets ‘at the speed of light’, and be used to temporarily disable enemy attacks by ‘dazzling’ sensors – or people.
Defence secretary Grant Shapps added: ‘This type of cutting-edge weaponry has the potential to revolutionise the battlespace by reducing the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage.
‘Investments with industry partners in advanced technologies like DragonFire are crucial in a highly contested world, helping us maintain the battle-winning edge and keep the nation safe.’
The successful trial of hitting aerial targets follows testing at Porton Down in which a long-range laser was fired at a number of targets over different ranges.
Last year it was also announced that high-energy laser weapons will be integrated onto a Wolfhound military vehicle.
An £85 million project to build a laser a ‘million billion billion times’ brighter than Sun was also unveiled last year. However, theVulcan 20-20 laser will be used to revolutionise scientific research and lead to new discoveries in areas such as clean energy and cancer treatment, not for combat.
The UK is not alone in developing directed energy weapons – the US and other countries are also developing their own technology.
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