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The British Ministry of Defense showed on video the operation of DragonFire laser weapons against air targets, including drones and mortar shells. Its cost is about £100 million, but each shot could potentially cost less than 500 UAH, which is much less than traditional air defense systems.
DragonFire has been in development since 2017, details about the 50 kW class laser are kept classified, NewAtlas reports. It is known to be a solid-state laser, which consists of bundles of doped glass fibers, the output of which is converted into a single beam using a British-developed beam combining system. Mounted on a turret, it also has a secondary laser and an electro-optical camera for target acquisition and beam correction.
A video released by the UK Ministry of Defense gives more information about its design. It shows the acquisition and targeting system in action, testing the laser on static test benches, and footage from January field tests at the British Army's Hebridean training ground in Scotland, where it tracked and engaged a variety of targets.
A newly declassified video shows the power of our DragonFire #laser in action
This technology is the result of joint working with world-class industry partners
For more on #DragonFire 👉 https://t.co/dXrYitxx6f@Leonardo_UK @QinetiQ @MBDAGroup pic.twitter.com/2CrHODAh7O
— Dstl (@dstlmod) March 11, 2024
The video also contained animations showing DragonFire in action aboard a warship, where it disables a boat, blinds a drone, and shoots down another drone. In addition, the Department of Defense released an image of a mortar mine that was burned through by DragonFire.
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Although the tests were successful, the DragonFire will not be adopted by the Royal Navy or British Army as a standard weapon. Its function is to act as a technology demonstrator that will provide data for the development of a larger second-generation weapons system that has not yet received funding.
The advantage of practical laser weapons is not only the ability to hit a coin-sized target a kilometer away at the speed of light. It can replace short-range missiles that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not including equipment, a shot costs about £10, and the “ammo” is practically unlimited.
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