Britain plans to transfer the latest laser weapons to Ukraine

Great Britain is considering giving Ukraine a prototype DragonFire combat laser capable of shooting down drones and missiles.

This was reported by the Defense Minister Grant Shapps on April 12, writes The Telegraph.

The day before, April 11, Shapps inspected the DragonFire laser weapons laboratory. He stated that these weapons "could have enormous consequences."

The minister also emphasized that delays in the deployment of new weapons technologies are "the biggest waste of money in defense."

"I want to accelerate what would normally be a very long process — maybe up to 10 years — to a much shorter time frame and deploy it, maybe on ships, maybe on land," Shapps noted.

He emphasized that Great Britain plans to add DragonFire to its arsenal by 2027, but is working on the possibility of sending prototypes to Ukraine earlier — even if they are not 100% finished.

"There is currently a conflict going on in Europe, for which we have unique modern weapons that can be useful. Letʼs put it this way, it doesnʼt have to be 100% perfect so that Ukrainians can possibly get their hands on it. 2027 is still the target date, but of course I will see what we can do to speed up the process," he said.

What is known about DragonFire

In January 2024, the United Kingdom announced the first successful tests of a laser weapon, the DragonFire Directed Energy System (LDEW).

The range of the system is classified, but it is known that DragonFire strikes in a direct beam and can hit visible targets at the speed of light. The systemʼs accuracy is described as pinpoint — the weapon can hit a £1 coin from a kilometer away. A 10-second shot costs the equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour. The cost of such a shot does not exceed £10 (491 hryvnias).

In March, the British Ministry of Defense published footage of DragonFire tests. The video showed the use of the laser against static targets and January tests at the training ground. The video also simulates how a laser installed on a warship disables a boat, blinds one UAV and shoots down another.