The Ministry of Defence has declined to say what directed energy weapons it is developing alongside DragonFire, telling Parliament only that further announcements will be made when appropriate, in a written answer published this week.
Luke Pollard, the Minister of State for Defence, was responding to Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, who asked with reference to paragraph 93 of the Defence Investment Plan what other systems were in development.
Mr Pollard said: “The Defence Investment Plan commits £490 million to Directed Energy Weapons over the next four years. This investment will deliver DragonFire and help ensure the UK remains at the forefront of this technology within NATO, while laying the groundwork for the next generation of DEW capabilities in collaboration with UK industry.”
He said: “This forms part of a longer-term investment programme. The DIP also sets out plans to invest at least £20 billion in new weapons and munitions between 2030 and 2035, including DEW for both land and maritime platforms.”
He added: “Further announcements on DEW will be made when appropriate.”
The reference to land platforms is the detail that carries most weight. DragonFire has been developed as a naval system and is due to be fitted to a Type 45 destroyer, but a land-based directed energy weapon would address a different problem, namely the drones and loitering munitions now used in volume against ground forces and fixed installations.
The British Army has already trialled a separate laser system mounted on a Wolfhound armoured vehicle, and has tested a radio frequency directed energy weapon designed to disable multiple drones at once rather than engaging them individually. Neither has been announced as a programme of record.
The economics are what drive interest in the technology. A laser engagement costs a few pounds in electricity against targets that cost thousands, which reverses the cost exchange that has troubled Western forces since Houthi drone attacks in the Red Sea saw multi-million pound missiles fired at aircraft worth a fraction of that. The constraints are power generation, cooling, and performance in poor weather.
DragonFire itself is being developed by MBDA with Leonardo and QinetiQ under a Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contract, and demonstrated high-power firings against aerial targets at the Hebrides range in 2024. The Ministry of Defence subsequently brought forward the planned in-service date, aiming to have it aboard a Royal Navy ship before the end of the decade.
The £490 million figure covers four years, which places directed energy some way down the list of Defence Investment Plan commitments. The plan allocates £26 billion to naval base infrastructure alone.
Thanks George. Good to know research continues. It would not be sensible to throw more money at gaining capacity whilst much of the theory needs to be developed in real world effects that are as yet speculative.
I don’t suppose they want to go too public on what their planning – let’s keep Mr P guessing!!