The Ministry of Defence has confirmed plans to accelerate the deployment of the cutting-edge DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) system, bringing it into frontline service with the Royal Navy by equipping four destroyers starting in 2027—five years earlier than initially planned.
In a written response to a parliamentary question from Conservative MP James Cartlidge, Defence Minister Maria Eagle explained the rationale behind the fast-tracked timeline: “By doing this, we are bringing laser technology to the Navy around five years faster than previously planned, which will protect our Armed Forces, and let us learn by doing, helping us to make continual improvements on areas like integration, software, and overall lethality.”
The DragonFire system—developed by a UK industry consortium including MBDA, Leonardo, and QinetiQ—is designed to deliver pinpoint precision and low-cost engagement against aerial threats, including drones, missiles, and other high-speed targets. Unlike traditional munitions, the laser system has no need for ammunition resupply and can be fired repeatedly, offering both cost efficiency and logistical advantages.
This early deployment will form a vital part of the UK’s strategy to integrate next-generation weapons systems into its frontline forces. Minister Eagle said that insights gained during these early operational deployments will feed into broader decisions on future laser weapons procurement: “These learnings will support development of both the DragonFire system and the choices we make on future DEW capabilities.”
The commitment to fast-track DragonFire follows the Spring Budget announcement of increased defence funding, with a portion earmarked for advanced capabilities such as Directed Energy Weapons.
Eagle highlighted this as a broader shift: “This approach to transitioning novel technology into capability is an example of how we are ensuring we translate the UK’s technological strengths into operational advantage at pace.”
Once installed, the laser system is expected to provide the Royal Navy with a game-changing layer of defence, capable of neutralising fast-moving threats with pinpoint accuracy, while dramatically reducing the cost-per-shot compared to conventional systems.
What is DragonFire?
DragonFire is a British laser directed-energy weapon (LDEW) system developed for the Royal Navy, representing a significant advancement in military technology. First unveiled as a technology demonstrator in 2017 at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) conference in London, it is a collaborative effort by UK DragonFire, a consortium comprising MBDA UK, Leonardo UK, QinetiQ, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).
The project, backed by a £100 million investment from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and industry partners, aims to provide a low-cost, high-precision alternative to traditional missile-based defence systems.
Designed to counter aerial and maritime threats such as drones, missiles, and mortar rounds, DragonFire is slated for operational deployment on Royal Navy warships by 2027, with plans to equip four vessels following additional funding announced on 26 March 2025. Its development reflects the UK’s ambition to maintain a cutting-edge, sovereign capability in directed-energy weaponry, with potential applications extending to the British Army and Royal Air Force.
The DragonFire laser weapon operates by emitting an intense beam of light that strikes targets at the speed of light, delivering sufficient energy to cause structural failure or catastrophic damage, particularly if aimed at critical components like warheads. Classified as a 50 kW-class solid-state laser, it employs a UK-pioneered beam-combining technology that merges multiple laser beams.
Mounted on a turret, the system integrates an electro-optical camera and a secondary lower-power laser for precise target acquisition and tracking, achieving accuracy equivalent to hitting a £1 coin (23 mm in diameter) from a kilometre away. While its range remains classified, DragonFire is a line-of-sight weapon, capable of engaging any visible target.
With an operational cost of approximately £10 per shot—comparable to running a heater for an hour—it offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive munitions, supported by a potential Flywheel Energy Storage System (FESS) for power demands. Successfully tested against drones and mortar rounds in trials, including a notable demonstration in January 2024 at the Hebrides Range in Scotland, DragonFire exemplifies a scalable, versatile defence solution for modern battlefields.
Interesting sting that it is T45 for deployment but why only four rather than all six?
Or is this because there is an assumption that at maximum 4/6 can be deployed as two will be in pieces/drydock etc?
I reckon it’s because this is early days and 4 is a good number to give a serious test to the platform and gain experience while not over committing to one that no co t has plenty of upgrading to follow towards gen 2. I reckon there is room to update the number along the way and start adding to T-26 if, as and when it proves fruitful to do so as 2027 and beyond approaches. I also think your assumption is probably correct too.
JOIN US Everybody can earn 250/h Dollar + daily 1K… You can earn from 8000-12000 Dollar a month or even more if you work as a part time job…It’s easy, just follow instructions on this page, read it carefully from start to finish… It’s a flexible job but a good eaning opportunity.tab for more detail thank you….
For details check ——-⫸ Www.WorksProfit7.Com
Yes, they did the same for harpoon sets on T45, only had four for six ships so I suspect there may be some cross decking.
if it is good enough, it should be rolled out to ALL of the front line RN SHIPS. the waiting for this has seemed to be never ending. if thU.K is serious about increasing the capability of the armed forces then only commuting to a small number of platforms. makes me wonder why not at all of the fleet?
But this is very new technology. Yes there was a little delay in its development phase early last year based on what was originally reported maybe 6 to 8 months on a representative prototype but the progress since suggests that system worked so well that they have managed to push it into first gen operational systems a lot earlier than expected which is very impressive. I expected a single test system at sea first for a couple years (the US have had such test systems at sea for ten years or so so this faith in what they have is very encouraging. It must be extracting a very high capability from its present power level and no doubt they are confident enough to see at as a pretty mature basis to move ever upwards. Also suggests that it is relatively easy to produce and modify I suspect so likely e hi it’s a high level of modularity.
Would tend to agree that this statement of intent is interwoven w/ T-45 refit schedule. Confidently predict the adoption of Dragofire by rest of RN escort fleet will be closely correlated w/ degree of success of system in a real world environment.
I suspect it will never be fitted to the T23s ( power and being old) but I would imagine it will be a standard fit for the T31 and T26 as they are commissioned. It would not surprise me if it was not then also fitted to the carriers and MRSS when they are commissioned.
Maybe it’s just to do with refit timetable as there is a lot going on with the T45s maybe the last two will simply be in refit and not available until after 2027.. it’s only 2 years away
No, it will be all 6 in time, they’ve just accelerated the rollout from 1 destroyer by end -2027 to now 4 destroyers using the extra announced funds. Presumably the other two would be fitted with Dragonfire in 2028, along with HMS Glasgow.
Of course it won’t work so well when it is misty or raining?
No but if that is the case they still have the other CIWS and missiles and the 30mm to fall back on assuming they don’t remove the 30mm to be able to fit the LDEW.
Most places a T45 is likely to encounter a drone swarm in will tend to be very dry and clear. Drones swarms are probably far more affected by bad weather than this ships laser.
Thanks Jim; your comment is both polite and helpful
Wheeled vehicles don’t work so well in boggy ground. Helicopters don’t work so well at high altitudes. Optical sights don’t work so well in the dark. Elephants don’t work that well going over mountain ranges.
What’s your point?
His point is simply nothing more than to be negative, by repeating something that has been said a thousand times already.
I’m guessing that “he” is a top level laser development expert and really knows his stuff, I’m sure his expertise and experience makes the scientists and engineers that developed it look like Daily Telegraph/Mail “journalists”.
smart Alec!
It depends.
If it is a still mist then it will burn through and the burn path will be maintained by dispersion. Sure it looses a bit of power but once it is 50kW+ things have to be really bad for it to halve the power output.
Rain is only an issue when it is quite heavy. If it is rain drops crossing the laser it will effectively pulse it. So yes, it will be degraded by the rain drop interruptions to the beam but in most reasonable path durations and intensities it won’t make it totally ineffective.
Think about how far you can still see with the Mk1 eyeball even in medium rain conditions….
So this adds to a supply of inexhaustible war shots for various functions on the threat table. You still have other kinetic effectors that the CMS will throw in if the laser fails to interdict.
This is expandable technology and power levels will only increase and effectiveness also as hardware and software are tweaked.
I understand the DRAGONFIRE LDEW system is essentially optically guided via a series of three increasingly narrow field camera’s. Therefore, if the weather conditions are severe enough to significantly hamper visibility then it cannot engage a target anyway – irrespective of any atmospheric dispersal effect moisture may have on directed energy ‘beam’ .Presumably the host warship’s radar and IR sensor systems can be employed to que the LDEW system to the fact that the ship is under attack.
In the longer term significantly higher entry outputs may be required to increase the effectiveness of this promising first generation system.
i imagine the Royal Navy tested it thouroughly and are satisfied with the results to give the green light for purchase and installation
oops sorry was meant as answer williams comment above
Brazil will love this…
Is this better than switching the main gun to the same 57mm from the type 31??
Why don’t you tell us as you clearly have a well founded and deep understanding of both systems or you really wouldn’t have bothered to make the comment would you?
Valid comment and, you would need to see the cost vs benefits of both, in the end the DEW is all about cost per shot vs being highly effective. After all you still cannot beat the energy density of a chemical explosive.
In the end what does the DEW give you
1) very cheap shots per kill
2) a very clean low risk way of engaging in a crowded sea way.
So if you are considering the cheap low end attrition drone in say a crowded sea where you have to consider where you high explosive or ordnance with high kinetic energy ends up a DEW is brilliant.
If on the other hand you are considering being swarmed with a load of low end attrition drones or even faster clever small networked missiles ( say a spear three analog) then the DEW is not very useful.. in that case what you want is a rapid fire naval gun with guided munitions such as the 76mm super rapid with dart ammunition.. which can fire very large numbers of DART munitions out to 8km.
What you actually need is a layered approach
1) area defence missiles.. allowing the ship to engage high flying targets out to the 100NM range ( lower numbers)
2) local area defence missiles allowing the ship to defend against targets that pop up in the radar horizon out to about 20NM a fair number of these
3) Meduim gun or two with guided rounds to engage multiple targets out to 5-8NM
4) DEW able to hit lower end threats our to 1-2NM
5) CIWS able to engage lots of fast moving targets out to 1-2NM.
May I correct this?
“1) very cheap shots per kill
2) a very clean low risk way of engaging in a crowded sea way.”
Should have read
1) very cheap shots per kill; and
2) a very clean low risk way of engaging in a crowded sea way; and
3) near inexhaustible number of shots.
FIFY
Hi supportive the only reason I did not add unlimited shots was because I don’t believe there is any information out there on laser diode wear and how many shots you would get before the diode needed replacement ( or any other part).. just like if you take a 57 bofors even if you had a 10,000 round magazine its barrel would be done at 5000 rounds… same with dragonfire.
Hi Jonathon,
I would also like to had that you would need to re-energise the flywheel as well if you came under a sustained attack for long enough – and as you implied we have few details on the total system. So there is the possibility that you can run out of ‘ammunition’…
The flywheel is a component that no one talks about, but it is arguably one to the most significant areas of development. I talked to a number of people when I was working with laser systems and the ‘pulsed laser’ people were getting increasingly interested in flywheels as an energy storage system. The big trade off was between rotational speed and mass. The latter meant mounting the flywheels in very strong air tight casings to allow the flywheel to operate in a vacuum and contain it in the event of a failure… Mounting the flywheel in a moving platform that might well be exposed to shock loading will be an interesting challenge. All that is a long winded way of saying that flywheels are a none trivial design challenge. They will also probably need to be kept spinning all the time in case of pop up threats.
Cheers CR
I wonder if a single power generation unit could be “wired up”, as it were, to multiple turrets?
So for defence against fewer, larger targets you put all of the power through a single turret for maximum damage and range, or if you have lots of smaller drones you can conduct simultaneous engagements against several targets at shorter range.
I think it will be due to the PIP upgrades to generate enough tower 4 type 45s will be finished by then I ssume the other 2 will be fitted once PIP completed.😉
Power
In time for China’s invasion of Taiwan. President Xi has stated he will “reunify” Taiwan before the end of 2027.
Can we not get all our destroyers, frigates, carriers and RFA ships fitted before then?
What’s the price per Dragonfire mount?
I actually think the key questions around this are now a little more complicated than before and or easer to answer and also harder to answer.
As of last year the fundamentals around this were more did china think in a long war it could force the US and its pacific and European allies to the negotiating table..due to causing extreme pain before it got isolated and collapsed.. essentially it thought the US would win all the battles but china would win the long game..because the U.S. cannot and will not take even a small amount of pain over time.
Now after the last few months and on the other hand there are two more questions.
1) would the US even bother to fight ?
2) and even if the U.S. did fight and china inevitably started to attack the US mainland ( to cause that pain) would Europe bother to do more than send a strongly worded letter.
3) with the US as flaky as it would it’s western pacific allies support the US in a war and risk being hung out to dry and end up fighting a superpower that’s only 500 hundred miles away on their own… essentially could Japan contemplate a situation in which it went to war with china and six months later the U.S. unilaterally pulled the plug and withdrew support from the western Pacific.
The one question this all makes easer is from chinas point of view, is it more likely to political break any western liberal democratic alliance against it and so win the war ? The answer is probably now a resounding yes and means china invaded Taiwan is now to my mind essentially inevitable..what I’m now far less sure about is will that invasion be contagious and cause WW3. I now think that’s less likely.
Trump is so volatile that I’m not sure we can predict Trump 2027 from Trump 2025.
I don’t get where “volatile” comes from. Everything Trump has done is exactly what he stated he would do, repeatedly, during the year long campaign. Nothing he has done is new. Also, the hand wringing over his commitment to NATO (or suggested lack of) has had precisely the effect he wanted – Europe paying for its own defence! I call that a win for UK defence that has been in a parlous state and deadly decline for far too long. Be assured, without Trump that story would have continued.
Probably get 3-4 and share them between 10 ships🤡
Watching recent footage of the 30mm guns firing at drones, I’m not convinced of their reputation for accuracy, for every hit there were many many splashes. Hopefully these Lasers will be able to lock on and hit fist time. I’m guessing Lasers will not be subject to the traditional issues of windage and Arcage.
Why only destroyers? Surely the Carriers could be next in line and the T26’s and T31’s as well.