What is DragonFire weapon, British military laser, expected to be seen on Ukrainian battlefield?

As the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate, the UK defence secretary suggested that a new and innovative British military laser could be used on the Ukrainian battlefield to shoot down Russian drones.

The military laser in question is the DragonFire weapon system which is expected to be ready for deployment by 2027. However, British defence secretary Grant Shapps noted that it could’ve “huge ramifications for Kyiv’s ongoing conflict against Russia.

Keeping this in mind, the weapon system that uses a beam to hit and destroy targets at the speed of light is expected to be tested by the Royal Navy and the Army next month for operational deployment, The Independent reported.

UK to speed up procurement

Given the ongoing geopolitical situation, the British defence ministry is pushing for new reforms which are aimed at speeding up procurement. This would mean that the weapon system which was originally set to be rolled out in 2032 will now be operational in five years or even earlier than that.

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Shapps maintained that during the testing phase, he would look to see if the pace could be increased further.

“In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement is shifting. We need to be more urgent, more critical and more global …. Let’s say that it didn’t have to be 100 per cent perfect in order for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it – 2027 is still the date as of this moment,” the British defence secretary told local reporters.

“But of course, I’ll look to see what we can do to speed up,” he added.

What do we know about the DragonFire weapon system?

The defence scientists have described the LDEW (Laser Directed Energy Weapon) as a “game changer”. They pointed out the laser weapon system’s ability to strike something as small as a £1 coin from a kilometre away.

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Meanwhile, the radio frequency outlets of the weapon system have the potential to weaken the enemy defences by cutting off communications and electricity.

The laser will be positioned on the Navy’s Type 23 frigates and in future will be stationed on Wolfhound armoured personnel carriers. The frequency “demonstrators” on the other hand will be strapped to the Army’s Man SV vehicles.

The weaponry is being produced by the British government’s Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) and private sector defence firms MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ. According to The Independent, the Weapon system was developed at the UK’s top secret research centre at Porton Down, near Salisbury.

While visiting the facility, Shapps reiterated that he would seek to up the pace of development. “I’ve come down to speed up the production of the DragonFire laser system because I think given that there are two big conflicts on, one sea-based, one in Europe, this could have huge ramifications to have a weapon capable particularly of taking down drones,” he exclaimed.