A European hub for “high-energy laser weaponry” is to be built in Livingston, Scotland, by Raytheon UK.
The “advanced laser integration centre” will be a European hub for high-energy laser weaponry, the firm said. The centre will focus on the testing, fielding and maintenance of defensive high-energy laser weapons.
The firm’s president of electronic warfare systems, Annabel Flores, told the BBC that “demand is spiking for cost-effective lasers” able to defeat asymmetric threats from drones, rockets and mortars.
Raytheon UK employs over 2,000 highly skilled people across the country, with major facilities in Broughton, Glenrothes, Harlow, Livingston and Gloucester. Raytheon UK is part of Raytheon and Intelligence & Space unit for Raytheon Technologies.
It was announced yesterday that Dragonfire, the UK’s Laser Directed Energy Programme (LDEW) led by MBDA, has successfully begun a series of trials to prove the accuracy and power of the novel laser weapon.
MBDA say here that the first of these trials recently conducted by the Dragonfire consortium – a joint industry and Ministry of Defence collaboration between MBDA, Leonardo, QinetiQ and Dstl – at low power proved the system “can successfully track air and sea targets with exceptionally high accuracy”.
“This success has paved the way for the next phase of the trials that will deliver a first for UK industry when carrying out a static high power laser trial, while maintaining aimpoint accuracy. The next step would then look to combine the outcomes of these two trials, pairing the recently proven tracking accuracy and the high power laser, by engaging targets in operationally representative scenarios.”
Finally Sturgeon and the SNP will have the Death Ray they always wanted to break up the UK 😀
Nice to see Scotland building something other than ships though.
Scotland does a lot in the UK defence sector, whilst this may be touted as a European Centre it’ll be interesting to see this and other defence companies will move post independence should it happen. After all the paymaster will not be the Scottish Government and export controls will currently come under UK remit.
Lost of non military applications involving lasers, I’m sure highly educated and skilled people will find jobs with or without UK defence spending. Raytheon is a US company after all and much of what they do in the UK is exports. It is quite different to a shipyard which would have to close post independence.
Yep. I’m sure they will.
There a big concentration of laser & photonics company’s in Scotland and as you say at lot of it isn’t defence related. In England there a simlear cluster around Southampton.
Independence is not happening. There is no referendum and it has not been won. It will not happen and most Scottish people I’ve spoken to or seen discussing it in the news say it’s not the time. Once in generation was what we were told.
This is like when Some councillor puts forward a proposal to make Cornwall independent. Doesn’t mean it’s happened.
Sturgeon’s not even asking for one she had launched a legal challenge she knows she will lose and she has no plan after that. If we can just keep the little englanders bottled up the UK will be fine.
If we can just keep the little englanders bottled up the UK will be fine.
Spoken like a true scot.
It’s not widely banded about for obvious reasons but I understand there were factions within the company to bring Leonardo’s Crewe Toll operations south of the border post a yes vote, most advocating somewhere near the Luton electronic warfare operations others wanting to locate near the helicopter operations in Devon, would be interesting certainly but I also suspect Luton would have won out, keeping radar & electronic warfare units close together.
Two issues with that, firstly trying to get anyone to leave the city in the UK with the highest living standards to move anywhere much less Luton is very difficult, In addition Edinburgh and Lothian have one of the biggest and most successful tech sectors in Europe and the people who work at Leonardo at crew toll are prized by many other companies. So the result of trying to move the facility out of Edinburgh is likely to be a loss in capability. It also worth nothing that they have many other customers outside of the MOD. It’s not widely… Read more »
I can understand if you wouldn’t like the decision but they are a market driven company chasing research & production funds and the vast majority of that at Crew Toll comes from UK government projects, it doesn’t matter anyway as the vote was to stay but they were spooked enough to start looking for land south of the border and I know Luton was preferred, not everyone at Crew Toll are Scottish and anyway people will follow the highly paid jobs wherever they are like any other business.
100 radars ordered by HMG over a 20 year period is not keeping a factory open. Also the jobs are not that highly paid and who would leave Edinburgh to move any where in England much less Luton. You just need to accept England not the be all and end all of defence procurement.
Not quite sure why your ‘having a go’ I’m just imparting what I know. don’t think I even mentioned the work that goes on at the site, I’m not advocating whether they should move or not I don’t even work for them and quite frankly don’t think I’ve even been to Luton. I agree that England ‘isn’t the be all and end all’ but you need to understand neither is Scotland. If a company see’s better opportunities elsewhere they will move, doesn’t matter whether it’s the defence industry or some other. Let me enlighten you about a place I used… Read more »
Sorry Martin, you are wrong. I am a director at a tech firm with an office in that area and a larger site in England. We will close the office in the Edinburgh with it’s 27 members of staff, should Scotland ever become Independent. Some of our clients have rules thatwe are required to follow. There’s projects that can, for example, only be worked on in an office based in the UK. By members of staff in isolation from other employees who are not natural UK citizens and have passed enhanced vetting. Scotland leaving will mean that office couldn’t operate.… Read more »
Edinburgh is the home of the Typhoons new Mk2 radar and the prime mover behind the Tempest’s also.
they make the housing in Edinburgh. and its a Italian company. so its not Iron Brew
They make almost the entire system in Edinburgh, much of the praetorian system as well and almost all UK EW capability as well. Crew Toll is one of a handful of world class defence manufacturing sites in the world. It’s Europes main airborne radar development site.
Crikey Johan that’s several posts u have mentioned this myth about it’s just the housing and been corrected every time. Stop flogging a dead horse.
We are 4 countries in a union. All proud of which country we are from. We all benefit from being in a union and it’s should be celebrated. Also it has its down falls.
SNP are in power due to the rest being a total shambles. Not because of there stance on independence. Ms sturgeon could do with remembering that last part.
Blast it, you beat me to it Martin…..
Might I add, whilst stocking a cat like an ‘atypical’ Bond Villain.
“I’ve been expecting you Mr Bond”
Blimey, this is turning into a really goods news week from the defence point of view – and its only Tuesday..!
Cheers CR
Now Truss wants to put defence spending up to 3% and cut income tax to zero.
😂
Ukraine has shown the World just how effective and necessary the drone has become in conducting military operations. This programme will be tentative in its early stages until proven in the field, but anti-drone systems will be vital in so many battlefield scenarios. It’s good news for the UK.
mmmm…. I’m not sure Maurice. My understanding is that the TB2 Bayraktar-type of drones had much success in he 1st half of the current Ukraine war, but as time went on the Rooskies have started eliminating them. It’s the smaller, more disposal drones that have at least some chance of staying aloft for target spotting etc., but have limited flight time and limited range. The UK needs to have a good think and come up with a good solution as we need something for this.
…offensive & defensive.
They certainly are vital for targeting esp if you don’t have extensive satellite access. Special forces (not long ago being questioned) will become vital I suspect to operate close to or beyond front lines to operate drones to supply this info as yes larger drones are becoming too easy to target. Hey I’m coming up with an eagle drone, literally identical to the bird, it would have been called the Sparrow but technology just isn’t there yet to be useful I fear. 🤔💵
Good luck. I guess its stealth, range/endurance and secure telemetry that are the main problems. 🙂
This Raytheon centre is for a MoD contract with them to produce a demonstrator anti-drone laser that can be fitted to a Wolfhound.
Livingston…..silicon glen 😊
O flower of Scotland
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen
And stood against him
Proud Edward’s army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.
Only a matter of time now….
I’ll tell the jokes on here …….😂
🏴🇬🇧
And of a high standard they usually are…I was told once that the bagpipes were a joke that the Irish played on the Scots …but they haven’t got it yet. Any truth in that?
Don’t live in the past much do they.
In fairness they have 600 years more past than England to remember. The Normans never did conquer Scotland. The irony of ironies is that St Margaret, pearl of Scotland was princess of the House of Wessex. Funny old world.
Your last sentence pretty much sums up that we’re one people although I guess that’s hard for many to get their heads around:)
The Royal houses of England and Scotland were joined a thousand years ago. That said a people, a nation and a state are not the same. A people and its culture are recognised typically by its language, music, literature and dance. Scottish reels, bagpipes and Burns “Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie! “ are uniquely different from English Morris dancing and Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be that is the question”. So the English and the Scots are two peoples and give or take the missing English parliament they are two nations, with different legal systems. But they are one… Read more »
Well I have one Scottish parent and one English I can assure you what ever reason people want put in place to divide I can assure you as product of the 2 that there’s no difference 🙂
It’s common for people with different cultures to marry. Doesn’t mean they are the same. Vive la difference !
Yep. The result is often better than the sum of its parts. 🙂
My three brothers have a Scottish mother, my other brother shares the same English mother as me. Several of the Scottish clan came down to the Midlands and married locals. One “English” member went north, married a Scottish girl, they have three kids, one has met a Welsh girl at university and they have an “English” kid. Sorry Paul, we have had a union of the crown for four hundred years, the peoples of Scotland, Wales and England are so inter-bred, I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone doing a family history found more than one of the other nationalities in… Read more »
Don’t worry Ian if they do go independent 5m or so of us who will be eligible for Scottish citizenship will move up there then demand a referendum on rejoining. It would be worth doing just to wind up the likes of Sturgeon
They may have been joined a thousand years ago but that bloodline is long gone. We have had a few reboots since, a couple imported or imposed from the continent.
How about Putins bloodline? Piss and shite, do online heritage sites record that? Not that you care, it’s like the blood of Christ to you!
A ‘people’ is a more subtle concept. It’s not simply genes. For example the Scottish people are formed originally from 2 tribes( gene pools) , Picts and Gaels. These were united into one culture by McAlpin acting under the influence of the Irish missionaries. The blood of the Viking invaders was assimilated into this (Christian ) culture as they were converted, after the formative struggle which gave birth to the Scottish people. England was brought into existence by a similar struggle under Arthelstan and in Ireland under Brian Bru; 3 peoples born by fighting invasion. The road signs in the… Read more »
Indeed, see my other post on remembering ( to re- member means to put things back together),
Nelson said ‘England expects’ not the United Kingdom expects. The Scots and the French are historical allies. No, give or take a few ‘global deals” its bunker mentality England at the crease on the back foot etc against the world 🙂
The United Kingdom came into existence in 1922. Nelson died at Trafalgar in 1805.
He couldn’t have ever said “The United Kingdom expects…..”.
Indeed, but he could have said Britain expects…:-)
Sorry, as an outsider don’t fully understand the English/Scottish rivalry. 🤔 Do the Welsh and Northern Irish participate/take sides, or offer to be Seconds during duels? Happen to live in Ohio, and as all loyal Ohioans, detest the inhabitants of that state *up North” (i.e Michigan), especially during (American) football season, in the autumn. HUGE rivalry game each year around Thanksgiving. Fights/riots often ensue in respective cities There is nothing quite as satisfying as watching the Wolverines lose to the Buckeyes and from their perspective, I’m certain the opposite is true. However, I am also quite certain if an outside… Read more »
Yeah pretty much. It was usually the scots that had issues with the English (the irish were traditionally the butt of jokes) but with the more vociferous anti-english tirade from some North of thr border you do find a bit of stick going North. Thing is, most folk don’t care about it and just get on. Gentle ribbing at best at sporting events
It’s similar I guess but the Scottish do take far more seriously. Having parents from both sides of the border the rivalry appeared mostly friendly.
No but the Vikings ripped the natives in the far north a very large NEW ONE and settled in that boggy cold areas. The Normans were descended from the same Vikings. so we are all related in this small island.
Good! No issues from me!
Clearly, Raytheon knows something the First Minister does not …
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