British Defence Secretary wants to provide Ukraine with new laser weapons to shoot down drones
However, in practice, such weapons have not yet been put into operation and tested
The UK Defence Secretary has said that a new British laser weapon, which has high power, accuracy and low cost of target destruction, could be sent to Ukraine to destroy Russian drones. According to Grant Shapps, this weapon could seriously affect the course of the conflict.
Source. This was reported by the BBC.
The weapon, called DragonFire, is expected to enter service by 2027, but Shapps said he wants to "accelerate" production and make it available earlier.
In January, the first and successful test of the laser against an air target was conducted.
The laser was originally expected to be in service by 2032, but thanks to reforms aimed at speeding up government arms procurement, it should be ready five years earlier.
During a visit to the Porton Down military research centre, the defence minister told reporters that he wanted to speed up the process even further.
"Let's just say that these weapons don't have to be 100% perfect before they can be delivered to the Ukrainians," Shapps said.
The British Ministry of Defence says the accelerated timetable is a response to the "changing threat environment" facing the UK.
According to Shapps, they are not going to achieve 99.9% perfection before they fire the laser on the "battlefield": they intend to bring it to 70%, test it in the field, and then develop it further.
"But at the moment, the date is still 2027," Shapps said.
The DragonFire weapon system was developed through a $160 million joint investment by the Ministry of Defence and the defence industry.
According to the country's Ministry of Defence, this weapon is so accurate that it can hit a coin from a kilometre away. This may be the beginning of the road to creating a low-cost alternative to missiles that can be used to destroy targets such as drones.
The biggest advantage of lasers is the cost and the theoretical "unlimited supply" of ammunition – provided there is a reliable source of electricity. But the big disadvantage is that, unlike most missiles, they can only fire at targets in line of sight.
Any proposal to send British lasers to Ukraine to destroy Russian drones is still very optimistic. With its energy system constantly under attack from Russia, lasers, which need a power source, are unlikely to be a solution to Ukraine's problem.
Laser energy weapons cut through a target with a powerful light beam. It is a line-of-sight weapon, so the target must be close enough to it, although the range of the DragonFire system is classified.
Background. As a reminder, British Prime Minister David Cameron came to Washington to persuade US congressmen to help Ukraine: "Tehran, Pyongyang, and Beijing are watching us support our allies," he said.
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