(Dan Tri) – British officials said they are considering sending a prototype of the DragonFire `fire dragon` laser weapon system to Ukraine, a combination described as being able to `change the game`.
DragonFire test in the UK (Photo: DSTL).
British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said the country is considering sending a prototype of the `DragonFire` laser weapon to Ukraine.
The DragonFire laser guided energy weapon (LDEW), is a joint project between the UK government’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and private defense companies MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ
LDEW is expected to be deployed on both warships and aircraft carriers in the future when it officially enters British military service in the next few years.
It fires a concentrated beam of energy that is invisible to the human eye, with the 1.5kW laser beam amplified by mirrors.
According to Telegraph, in tests, DragonFire destroyed the UAV, exploding mortar shells in less than 5 seconds of contact.
The weapon is described as a `game changer` using high-energy lasers that can take down drones or even missiles as an alternative, Kyiv Post said.
DSTL scientists say DragonFire can hit a target the size of a £1 coin at a distance of about 1km and operates at a frequency that could interfere with the missile’s communications and power supply.
The cost for one laser shot from DragonFire is about 12.5 USD, too cheap compared to firing regular interceptor missiles.
Mr. Shapps said that the UK wants to speed up the development and deployment of this weapon before 2027. Although DragonFire is only in the development stage, the UK is considering sending it to Ukraine.
Mr. Shapps is confident that DragonFire is a very special weapon, at a level that other countries cannot copy because it uses very advanced technology.
However, Mr. Shapps did not provide a specific timeline for when these weapons could be delivered to Kiev.
`That being said, it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect for the Ukrainians to use it. At this point, 2027 is still the target for the British military (for DragonFire deployment), but of course, I would
In addition to being cheap, DragonFire can operate at the speed of light, making many experts believe that it has the potential to intercept high-speed weapons such as hypersonic missiles.
The ongoing war in Ukraine also shows that drones costing just a few hundred dollars are causing huge damage to high-value targets such as armored vehicles worth millions of dollars.
This causes all sides to find more cost-effective methods to deal with UAVs instead of intercepting with conventional missiles.
Despite their advantages, directed energy weapons like DragonFire typically have shorter ranges than conventional kinetic weapons.
Samuel