'£1 coin from 1 km away': UK's DragonFire shoots down drone with targeted laser beam | Video
A video from the testing of DragonFire shows the system targeting an incoming drone with a concentrated beam of light in the sky.
The United Kingdom recently conducted a trial of its groundbreaking DragonFire laser technology in Scotland. As per the UK Ministry of Defence, the cutting-edge technology is capable of flying up to 650km/h, twice the top speed of a Formula 1 car and is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometre away.
As per a press release by the UK's Ministry of Defence, the latest trials conducted with DragonFire showed it shooting down high-speed drones, using the UK's first above-the-horizon tracking, targeting and shooting.
A video from the testing of DragonFire shows the system targeting an incoming drone with a concentrated beam of light in the sky. Moments later, the target can be seen falling apart with smoke coming out of it.
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What is DragonFire?
DragonFire is the first high-power laser capability defence system. It is to hit drones, missiles and other airborne targets using a concentrated beam to focus. It is entirely built in the UK and can hit a target as small as £1 coin from a kilometre away. One shot costs only £10, making it a more effective method in comparison to traditional missile systems, which cost hundreds of thousands of pounds per shot.
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It has been developed by MBDA, a pan-European missile system company, along with QinetiQ and Leonardo. It will be delivered almost five years faster and be continuously improved, the release said.
Britain has awarded a £316 million contract to MBDA to deliver the new systems to the Royal Navy from 2027.
The ministry further said that DragonFire will help create and sustain 590 jobs across the UK, including 200 highly skilled jobs in Scotland and 185 jobs in the South West of England.
Talking about the high-power laser technology, Minister for Defence Readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, said in the release, “This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the UK and our allies.”
