UK confirms drone-killing DragonFire laser weapon for Royal Navy destroyers by 2027 —laser downs 400mph high‑speed drones, costs $13 per shot

The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the DragonFire high-energy laser weapon will be installed on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers by 2027, five years ahead of the original schedule.

Defence Minister Lord Coaker confirmed the accelerated timeline following a £316 million ($414 million) contract awarded to MBDA UK in November for the first two production systems. The deployment of DragonFire will make the UK the first European NATO member to field an operational shipborne laser weapon.

DragonFire, which the MoD states can strike a coin-sized target from one kilometer away, is a 50 kW-class fiber-combined laser developed by MBDA UK in partnership with Leonardo UK, QinetiQ, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). The system uses a spectral beam-combining architecture that merges multiple glass-fiber laser sources into a single beam with near diffraction-limited quality. A stabilized turret houses the beam director, electro-optical sensors, and a secondary tracking laser for continuous target illumination.

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The MoD has claimed that each shot costs approximately £10 in energy consumption. In contrast, Aster interceptor missiles fired from the Type 45's existing Sea Viper system cost hundreds of thousands of pounds per round, making the laser a far cheaper option against low-cost drone threats. Because the system runs on electrical power rather than stored munitions, engagement capacity is limited by onboard power generation and cooling.

Two full-scale firing campaigns completed in 2025 at the MoD's Hebrides range in Scotland validated the system under operationally representative conditions. During those trials, DragonFire shot down drones traveling at speeds up to 650 km/h (approximately 400 mph) and achieved a UK first for above-the-horizon tracking and interception of high-speed aerial targets.

The trials included detection, tracking, beam handoff, and sustained engagement sequences against unmanned systems and representative projectiles, and their results supported the decision to accelerate the program’s timeline.

Meanwhile, the £316 million contract covers two DragonFire units, with the first scheduled for installation on a Type 45 destroyer in 2027. Government planning documents reference a broader goal to equip up to four ships by 2027, but any follow-on procurement will depend on performance during early deployment. The UK's Strategic Defence Review backed directed-energy weapon work with nearly £1 billion in additional investment this Parliament.

Beyond the naval program, the MoD is exploring land-based and air-based applications, including integration on Wolfhound armored vehicles and future GCAP fighter jets.

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