United to win: Great Britain plans to send cutting-edge laser weapons to Ukraine
Photo: GOV.UK
The British Defense Minister, Grant Shapps, has proposed giving Ukraine a prototype of their DragonFire combat laser, which can shoot down drones and missiles. However, it is unlikely that this will happen for at least a couple of years.
The Independent reports this.
Shapps suggested that prototypes of the latest DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) system, which was first tested in January 2024, could potentially be transferred to Ukraine in the future for field use and testing without waiting for the system to be refined to a final version.
First, it was planned that DragonFire would begin production in 2032, but now, the British Ministry of Defense has said that they expect to achieve this earlier—in 2027.
In an address to the press at the Military Technology Research Center in Salisbury, Shapps announced that he would investigate ways to speed up development to be utilized in real-life situations, specifically in Ukraine.
"We have two major conflicts going on – one at sea (probably, it is about confronting the Houthi fighters who attack merchant ships in the Red Sea – Ed.), one in Europe. The presence of weapons that can effectively shoot down drones can greatly affect the development of events," Shapps noted.
He noted that he would like to speed up the usually very long development-procurement procedures to much shorter timelines so that the system can be deployed as soon as possible on ships and, potentially, on land for use against strike drones.
"It is not difficult to imagine how it could help, for example, Ukraine," the minister said.
Shapps explained:
"(The new procurement system) aims to not wait until we have 99.9% perfect weapons before they go "to the fields" but to go to the conditional 70%, start using them, and then develop them further."
When asked whether DragonFire could be ready before 2027, he said he had discussed such possibilities with experts and that the system "doesn't have to be 100% perfect for the Ukrainian military to get it for use possibly," but 2027 still looks like a realistic date.
"But, of course, I will explore options to speed up the process… In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement needs to change accordingly. We need to be able to act faster and more globally," Shapps emphasized.
In January 2024, Britain announced the first successful laser weapon test – the DragonFire Directed Energy System (LDEW).
The system's range is classified, but it is known that DragonFire strikes in a direct beam and can hit visible targets at the speed of light. The system's accuracy is described as pinpoint—the weapon can hit a £1 coin from a kilometer away. A 10-second shot costs the equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour. The cost of such a shot does not exceed £10 (491 hryvnias).
In March, the British Ministry of Defense published footage of DragonFire tests. The video showed the laser's use against static targets and January tests at the training ground. It also simulates how a laser installed on a warship disables a boat, blinds one UAV, and shoots down another.
DragonFire 🔥 is a new laser being developer by @dstlmod for the 🇬🇧 military.
Watch its first high-power firing against an aerial target.
👇👇👇https://t.co/D5sqIciICS pic.twitter.com/oI1xG9sK87
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 11, 2024
The British government said that DragonFire would be characterized by high speed and accuracy, and its additional advantage would be its low cost compared to air defense missiles.
For reference:
Britain has been one of Ukraine's main allies since the beginning of the full-scale war. The country was the first to agree to provide the Ukrainian military with modern Challenger 2 tanks.
Britain also provided long-range Storm Shadow missiles with a range of 300 kilometers.
On March 22, the British Ministry of Defense announced a new military aid package to Ukraine worth 60 million pounds (over 75 million dollars). The aid included drones and air defense.
Also, on April 8, Britain agreed with France to increase the supply of ammunition, drones, and air defense systems to Ukraine.
