The British Secretary of State Grant Shapps stated that the ministry will proceed in 2027 to install laser weapons on warships to deal with aerial threats.
In fact, in the announcement, it is pointed out that this initiative is being accelerated by five years, which is more than was foreseen.
The system will be the "cannon" DragonFire, which the ministry's scientific laboratory DSTL is developing in collaboration with the companies MBDA, Leonardo, and QinetiQ. The weapon has already been successfully tested.
The main advantage is the low cost per shot, which is set at just 10 pounds (just under 12 euros)! By contrast, the Sea Viper (Aster) missiles recently used by Britain to shoot down Houthi drones in the Red Sea cost millions of euros each.
Royal Navy to Install Laser Weapons on Ships by 2027
