UK military laser could be used in Ukraine against Russian drones

LONDON

The UK defense secretary has suggested that a new British military laser could be used in Ukraine frontline to take down Russian drones, according to media reports on Friday.

The DragonFire weapon system which uses a beam to hit and destroy targets at the speed of light, expected to be rolled out by 2027, but Grant Shapps said he wanted to "speed up" production and make it ready sooner.

"In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement is shifting. We need to be more urgent, more critical and more global," he said at the Porton Down military research hub in Salisbury as reported by the media.

"Let’s say that it didn’t have to be 100% perfect in order for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it, 2027 is still the date as of this moment. But of course I’ll look to see what we can do to speed up," Shapps added.

Laser weapons were originally expected to be rolled out to UK armed forces in 2032 but under a raft of reforms to defense procurement, the weapon will now be operational around five years earlier than planned, according to the Ministry of Defense.

"On incoming drones, it doesn't take much imagination to see how that could be helpful in Ukraine for example," said the defense chief.

It has been developed in collaboration with UK industry partners MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ, under contract from Defense Science and Technology Laboratory on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defense.