unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen The British have tested a laser, which is supposed to be a cheaper alternative to conventional weapons. Photo: British Ministry of Defence/TT
Britain has tested its new laser weapon Dragonfire, the country’s government announces.
The laser, which was located on the ground, was fired at a target in the air at a test facility off the Outer Hebrides, northwest of the Scottish mainland.
The weapon can be deployed against any target at visible range and “uses an intense beam of light that cuts through the target”. The hit accuracy corresponds to a one-pound coin at a distance of one kilometer, but how far the laser actually reaches is classified, according to the government.
Above all, the weapon is intended as a cost-effective alternative to expensive anti-aircraft systems, and should, for example, be able to shoot down drones and naval targets. Firing a shot with the laser usually costs less than £10.
The war in Ukraine has shown the challenges when large numbers of cheap attack drones are deployed, and the countermeasures in many cases are significantly more expensive.
The British Ministry of Defense recently announced plans for a multi-million dollar investment to take the technology from the “test environment to the battlefield”.