The Ministry of Defence has awarded the £30 million contract to
produce a Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Capability
Demonstrator to the UK Dragonfire consortium, led by
MBDA.
The project will assess innovative LDEW technologies and
approaches, culminating in a demonstration of the system in
2019.The contract will assess how the system can pick up and
track targets at various ranges and in varied weather conditions
over land and water, to allow precision use.
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.
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 £800M 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.”
The MOD’s investment in such innovative solutions demonstrates
how the Government’s £178 billion equipment plan, supported by a
rising Defence budget, is ensuring our Armed Forces have the most
effective and innovative capability available. The Innovation
Initiative aims to strengthen the Defence partnerships which make
such projects possible, keeping the UK safe and secure in a
complex world.
Dstl’s Peter Cooper added:
“This is a significant demonstration programme aimed at
maturing our understanding of what is still an immature
technology. It draws on innovative research into high power
lasers so as to understand the potential of the technology to
provide a more effective response to the emerging threats that
could be faced by UK armed forces.”
The UK Dragonfire consortium includes partners from across the UK
with international reputations in this area including MDBA,
QinetiQ, Leonardo-Finmeccanica GKN, Arke, BAE Systems and
Marshall ADG.
