UK invests £20million in anti-drone lasers to protect Britain amid 'new era of threats'
The “directed energy weapons” have been hailed as an 'exciting' technology that could help shield the UK from emerging threats.
Britain is investing £20million to develop new drone-destroying lasers in a bid bolster the protection of key military sites and critical infrastructure.
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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said new “directed energy weapons” will complement Britain’s DragonFire systems being installed on the Royal Navy's destroyers from 2027 under a £300 million defence deal.
DragonFire lasers are said to be strong enough to burn through drones, mortar rounds and brick with a powerful beam.
At £10 per shot, they are seen as a cheap low-cost alternative to missiles used for shooting down incoming drones and missiles.
Meanwhile, Sea Viper missiles fired Navy destroyers to take out enemy threats cost as much as £1 million each.
The £20million laser investment forms part of a wider £30million of funding for Britain’s drone defences from UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), a body set up to invest in cutting-edge military technology.
Read more: Russian spy ship aimed lasers at RAF pilots tracking it near UK waters
Phillip Lester, a retired RAF air vice-marshal, hailed the ‘exciting’ technology, emphasising the potential to protect vital UK infrastructure.
“Laser technology is exciting and I’m sure there is potentially utility for protecting the UK. It just needs to be integrated. The principle function of air defence in the UK through our fighter jets, as well as some other capabilities,” he told the Times.
He added: “There are key military sites and critical infrastructure that we might want to prioritise for protection in order to ensure national resilience and the preservation of national capability.”
An MoD spokesman said: “Laser weapon technology offers significant potential across a wide range of defence and civil applications. We are actively exploring opportunities, particularly in counter-drone systems.
“We are further investing to complement DragonFire, ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of this technology into the future.”“There are key military sites and critical infrastructure that we might want to prioritise for protection in order to ensure national resilience and the preservation of national capability.”
It comes after the Strategic Defence Review and subsequent government commitment to introducing top-of-the-range Directed Energy Weapons.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said of DragonFire: “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.
“We are delivering on our Strategic Defence Review by backing British industry and creating hundreds more jobs, making defence an engine for growth across the UK.”
It comes amid escalating tensions with Russia, with a recent incursion into UK waters dismissed by Moscow.
Hours later, Russian officials say Moscow is "not interested in British underwater communications" after its intelligence gathering spy ship was sighted on the edge of UK waters.
This week, a sanctioned Russian tanker was seen sailing through the English Channel - just one day after the US and its allies seized a Kremlin-flagged vessel off the coast of Iceland.
The ship was sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control in both 2021 and 2024 while sailing under the name Tia.Since then, it has been sailing under the false name "Arcusat" and has been reflagged to Cameroon.