- DragonFire achieves UK first in latest testing, taking
down high-speed drones with new laser system.
- £316 million contract awarded to MBDA UK,
backing nearly 600 skilled jobs and delivering on the
Government's Plan for Change.
- The pioneering programme is part of the Strategic Defence
Review's commitment to bring into service innovative Directed
Energy Weapons.
Britain's ground-breaking DragonFire laser has shot
down high-speed drones in new trials, as a £316 million contract
is awarded to MBDA deliver new systems to the
Royal Navy from 2027.
Its most recent trials at the MOD's Hebrides range involved
drones which can fly up to 650km/h - twice the top speed of a
Formula 1 car - including a UK first of above-the-horizon
tracking, targeting and shooting down such drones.
The laser system costs just £10 per shot and
is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometre
away. It is a more cost-effective method in comparison to
traditional missile systems, which cost upwards of hundreds of
thousands of pounds per shot. DragonFire will be fitted to a
Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by 2027 – five years faster than
originally planned.
The cutting-edge DragonFire laser will help to
create and sustain 590 jobs across the UK, showing how defence is
an engine for growth. This includes 200 highly skilled jobs in
Scotland, 185 jobs in the South West of England and 75
jobs in the East of England, delivering on the Government's Plan
for Change.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, MP, 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.
We are delivering on our Strategic Defence Review by backing
British industry and creating hundreds more jobs, making defence
an engine for growth across the UK.
Scottish Secretary said:
This new £316 million contract award - and news that DragonFire
has successfully taken down high-speed drones in the latest
trials at the MoD's Hebrides range - shows just how vital
Scottish expertise is to the UK's national security and why
Scotland is globally recognised as a centre of defence
excellence.
DragonFire is the latest in an impressive line of defence
dividend wins for Scotland. The UK Government is transforming our
defence sector into an even more powerful engine for growth
because when we back our service personnel and Scottish industry,
we keep ourselves and our allies secure whilst delivering skilled
jobs and growth for communities and workers.
As part of the Strategic Defence Review
(SDR), DragonFire is the first high-power laser
capability entering service from a European
nation, representing one of the most advanced directed
energy weapons programmes in NATO. The SDR backed UK Directed
Energy Weapon work with a further investment of nearly £1
billion this Parliament alone.
MBDA UK will work in partnership with QinetiQ and
Leonardo to develop the capability that will be delivered almost
five years faster and be continuously
improved, representing a fundamentally different rapid
approach to defence procurement.
Chris Allam, MBDA UK Managing Director,
said:
This latest contract for DragonFire is another
significant milestone. It allows us to continue with the next
phase of the programme 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.
Steve Wadey, Group CEO, QinetiQ,
said:
The DragonFire programme is delivering the ambition of
the Strategic Defence Review, with industry experts working in
collaboration with government to get disruptive, next generation
technology into the hands of our warfighters at
pace.
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.
Mark Stead, Leonardo UK SVP Radar and Advanced Targeting,
said:
Leonardo has channelled its decades of experience developing
world-leading lasers to produce DragonFire's beam
director, which harnesses and directs the powerful laser energy
on target. Today's contract award to procure a Minimum
Deployable Capability of DragonFire is testament to the
hard work and dedication of all those involved in the programme,
and the rapid progress made by the defence and industry
partnership since its inception.
