The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory under the Ministry of Defense in the U.K. has successfully completed a trial of its high-powered, long-range laser-directed energy weapon , aWith the increased use of drones and electronic weapons in modern warfare, there is a strong demand for electronic countermeasures.
According to the press release, the European multinational manufacturer of missiles, MBDA, has developed the weapon system's advanced command and control and image processing capabilities and is also responsible for its overall operation.Italian defense company, Leonardo, has developed the beam director of the system that can track target objects and track them with pinpoint accuracy. In contrast, U.K.-based Qinetiq has based a phased-combined laser that can take down targets.
"DragonFire has already successfully demonstrated an ability to track targets with very high levels of precision and to maintain a laser beam on the selected aim-point," said Ben Maddison, Dstl's Technical Partner, in the press release. "This trial has assessed the performance of the laser itself – the outcome shows that the U.K. has world-leading capability in the technologies associated with laser-directed energy weapons systems.