The United Kingdom has awarded a £316 million ($413 million) contract to MBDA UK to deliver DragonFire laser weapon systems to the Royal Navy from 2027, following fresh trials in which the high-energy system destroyed high-speed drones.
Published on November 20, 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announcement confirms DragonFire will become the UK’s first operational high-power laser weapon, marking one of the most advanced directed-energy deployments planned by a European NATO member.
Laser destroys drones at 650 km/h
The latest trials at the MoD’s Hebrides range saw DragonFire track, engage, and destroy drones flying at up to 650 kilometers (403 miles) per hour, “twice the top speed of a Formula 1 car”. The MoD said the system achieved the UK’s first above-the-horizon laser intercept during the tests.
A key argument for the capability remains cost: the MoD estimates each laser shot at around £10, compared with missiles that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. As cheap drones and loitering munitions proliferate, the economics of air defense are becoming a critical driver for such systems.
The contract provides what officials call a “minimum deployable capability,” with installation planned on at least one Type 45 destroyer by 2027, around five years earlier than previously expected.
Initially funded as a £100 million ($130 million) demonstrator, DragonFire is now part of a broader directed-energy effort under the Strategic Defence Review, which allocates nearly £1 billion this parliament to laser and radio-frequency weapons.
Onboard a Type 45, the laser is intended to complement existing missile and gun defenses. Unlike missile interceptors, its magazine depth is limited mainly by shipboard power and cooling rather than by stockpiles.
Operational evaluation will determine how DragonFire performs in real maritime conditions, including weather, sea spray, and integration with sensors and the combat management system.
Global push towards directed energy
The DragonFire contract follows recent British Army trials of a radio-frequency weapon designed to counter drone swarms, and the Royal Air Force testing an airborne laser defense system to counter infrared missiles.
International interest in combat lasers is also growing. Israel is advancing its Iron Beam program, while the United States continues testing naval and land-based high-energy laser systems.
