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25 Nov 2025
'DragonFire' systems now set to be delivered from 2027, targeting high-speed drones.
The first UK-developed “DragonFire” laser weapon systems will start to arrive on Royal Navy ships in 2027, under a £316 million contract between missile firm MBDA Systems and the UK government.
News of the deal comes nearly a decade after an MBDA-led consortium won an initial contract to develop the technology alongside BAE Systems and Leonardo, using laser expertise from Qinetiq.
According to a UK government release also highlighting the DragonFire’s ability to shoot down drones traveling at up to 650 km per hour, the systems will be fitted to a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer.
Luke Pollard, the government’s Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said: “This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the UK and our allies in this new era of threat.”
The contract is expected to help to create and sustain 590 jobs across the UK, including 200 in Scotland, 185 in the South West of England and 75 in the East of England.
DragonFire developments
Having embarked on the DragonFire project in early 2017, the MBDA-led development team went on to present a full-scale version of the beam director on a dedicated exhibition booth at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair that took place in London later that year.
Then in 2022 the DragonFire team announced that trials had shown good tracking performance with the system operating at a low power output, with high-power tests of the technology taking place later that year.
In January 2024 the UK military claimed success with the first high-power firing of the laser weapon against aerial targets in trials at the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Hebrides Range, although details of the system's range were not revealed.
In April 2024 the MoD said it planned to install the DragonFire system on Royal Navy ships, although the specific timeline for deployment remained unclear.
Commenting on the new supply deal Chris Allam, MBDA’s UK managing director, said: “This latest contract for DragonFire is another significant milestone. It allows us to continue with the next phase of the program and re-affirms the UK’s intent to be at the forefront of laser directed energy weapons.
“The success of recent DragonFire trials are a testament to our MoD and Industry team delivering a truly game-changing weapon system into the hands of the Royal Navy.”
Cheap shots
Qinetiq’s group CEO Steve Wadey added: “QinetiQ is proud to have played a unique role in developing and testing this critical military capability of the future. We welcome the government’s latest commitment, which will enable us to accelerate the production of the world-leading technology that is fundamental to the DragonFire system.”
The Dragonfire laser system is said to cost just £10 per “shot” fired, and to be accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a distance of one kilometer - compared with a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds per shot for conventional kinetic missile systems.
News of the UK’s plan to deploy the technology comes a couple of months after Israeli authorities said that the “Iron Beam” laser weapon system, which is believed to be built around a 100 kilowatt-class fiber laser provided by Elbit Systems, had completed final tests and would be integrated into air defense systems fielded by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) by the end of this year.
Meanwhile a US Department of Defense team continues to work on the “HELSI 2” project to develop a megawatt-class laser system that could be capable of shooting down ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons.
That program is scheduled to be completed in 2026, with nLight’s CEO Scott Keeney recently telling an investor conference call that the high-power laser firm was on track to meet the necessary laser requirements for the project on time.
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