The first British laser weapon called DragonFire has been successfully tested, it managed to shoot down moving drones at the speed of light, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said, according to AFP.

DragonFire, the first laser weapon successfully tested by the British ArmyPhoto: X @Grant Shapps

“British military researchers have shot down drones for the first time using a laser to penetrate approaching targets at the speed of light,” wrote Grant Shepps on X, News.ro reported. The test took place in the Hebrides, west of Scotland.

The DragonFire is so accurate that it can hit a one pound (450 gram) coin from a distance of one kilometer, the UK Ministry of Defense said in a statement. However, its maximum range is classified as a defense secret.

“Could be fitted to future warships, it will be a vital weapon for the UK as the threat of drone warfare grows. DragonFire is just one of the potentially revolutionary capabilities we are investing in to gain an edge over our adversaries,” Minister Grant Shapps said at X.

In addition, weapons are also very cheap. It costs less than £10 per strike, far less than the thousands of pounds required to intercept a drone in the Red Sea, for example.

The stakes are high for the British Navy to be able to deploy DragonFire. It must fight back using air defenses – often missiles, which are expensive – against drones or low-quality, cheap missiles.

In asymmetric conflict, this difference in costs is always used by the weaker adversary to exhaust the resources of the stronger adversary.

The growing use of drones by numerous armed terrorist groups is a concern for the military. Thus, laser weapons can be a cost-effective solution.

The development of DragonFire required an investment of 100 million pounds, but its unit cost is very low. Launching DragonFire within 10 seconds is equivalent to the cost of using a conventional radiator in just one hour, the British Ministry of Defense noted, while the cost of launching a missile can reach $200,000.

The new weapon will be in service from 2029 and will be able to equip only the newest frigates. “The Army and the Royal Navy are considering the use of this technology as part of their future air defense capabilities,” the British Ministry of Defense said.

Great Britain is not the only country that wants to arm itself with such weapons. France, with HELMA-P, will deploy such a system later this year, as will Israel. As for Paris, this laser weapon is intended primarily for the French Navy. The United States has also conducted some convincing tests.