£30m contract for MOD prototype laser weapon

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded a £30 million contract to produce a prototype laser weapon.

Picked up by a consortium of European defence firms, called UK Dragonfire, the contract aims to discover whether ‘directed energy’ technology could be of benefit for the armed forces.

Drawing on ‘innovative research into high power lasers so as to understand the potential of the technology’, the prototype will be assessed on how it picks up and tracks targets at different distances and in varied weather conditions over land and water.

The project will inform decisions on the future of the programme and help the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) establish a road map to an in-service capability. If it is successful, the first laser weapons would come into service in the mid-2020s.

Harriet Baldwin, Minister for Defence Procurement, said: “The UK has long enjoyed a reputation as a world leader in innovation and it is truly ground-breaking projects like the Laser Directed Energy Weapon which will keep this country ahead of the curve.

“The Defence Innovation Initiative and £800 million Defence Innovation Fund aim to encourage imagination, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, in pursuit of maintaining a military advantage in the future. With a rising defence budget, and a £178 billion equipment plan, our commitment to innovation will deliver a safer and more prosperous Britain.”