QinetiQ is investing £20 million to accelerate the development and production of laser directed energy weapon technology, the company has announced, unveiling a new brand name for its high-energy laser sources at the Farnborough International Airshow as the DragonFire system it contributes to heads for Royal Navy ships from 2027.
The company-funded investment will expand development and production capabilities at QinetiQ’s Farnborough and Malvern sites, growing the product range and significantly increasing production capacity for laser weapon systems for both the UK and international defence markets, according to the company.
At the airshow, the firm is unveiling HELENA, the new name for its coherent beam combination High Energy Laser Source products, the critical component at the heart of any laser weapon system, which can be used to defend against drones and other advanced threats.
“Directed Energy Weapons are quickly moving from development to deployment to change the game in battlefield economics against the drone threat, and QinetiQ has been at the forefront of this technology for two decades,” said Steve Wadey, QinetiQ’s Group Chief Executive, as quoted in the press release. “The investment announced today demonstrates our commitment to accelerating both the development and manufacture of sovereign laser technology, ensuring we can meet the growing demand from the UK and our international allies and provide them with the operational advantage on the battlefield.”
QinetiQ has more than 25 years of experience in laser weapon technology and remains a key member of the UK’s DragonFire consortium alongside MBDA and Leonardo, which is delivering laser systems onto Royal Navy ships from 2027, a programme accelerated by the Ministry of Defence to put the 50-kilowatt-class weapon to sea aboard a Type 45 destroyer years earlier than originally planned. Within that partnership, MBDA leads the overall system with Leonardo providing the beam director, while QinetiQ supplies the laser source itself, the element the HELENA branding now covers, generated by combining multiple fibre laser beams into a single coherent high-energy output.
Andy Burnham’s tenure has come at the right time as Russia begins to ‘heat up’ its policy of intimidation against NATO members. The live fire in the Channel is not an act of mutual friendship, and as I predicted earlier this year, will only signal a ramp-up of the tactic. Healy as Chancellor is the best news for UK defence in years and hopefully an indication of travel in the coming months.
I disagree, the ship is leaving now and not being replaced in the channel, Russia has been humiliated but its inability to support a single warship in the North Sea. Russia is now routing all traffic north of the UK now.
I think the Russians are desperate to try to look remotely relevant, bit like the Argentinian footballers picking a fight with the victorious Spanish post WC Final. Tbh acts of this nature are useful for us if anything, as it allows further publicity that, despite the act’s minimal effect, will only enhance the Govt’s efforts to keep the public aware of supposed dangers and more onside with its defence spending.
“put the 50-kilowatt-class weapon to sea aboard a Type 45 destroyer.”
Here’s the rub, as these weapons mature and become more powerful, which future platforms will they be fielded on?
Type 83 would have been ideal for this
I don’t see small drone vessels being able to fire lasers of this power class and higher.
That’s a good point, while any building frigate can hopefully support DragonFire, more powerful developments double or triple the power may be a different matter. One hopes this is being addressed. I would hope present or later T-26s have the capacity but hope the command ships would be designed in with the power capacity to cope, but we have no idea what weaponry they will even carry and knowing the MOD’s love to underarm our ships, that class due to its role, must be wetting their lips in potential money and capability savings.
As an aside I was shocked how poorly armed the new but recently cancelled German F-126 Frigates were to be, especially for their size, so maybe we aren’t alone in underestimating what’s required.