United Kingdom To Equip Warships With Laser Weapon — Government Claims The System Can Reach The Speed Of Light And Hit A Coin 1 km Away

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 04/04/2025 at 10:46

Imagem: Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom

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United Kingdom Begins Installing Military Laser on Warships. Weapon Is More Accurate, Faster, and More Cost-Effective Than Conventional Munitions

The Royal Navy has announced that it plans to install the DragonFire laser weapon on four warships by 2027. The decision follows a series of successful tests with the new system, which promises precision, cost savings, and lower collateral damage risks.

Technology Will Be Delivered Ahead of Schedule

The weapon, developed with British technology, was highlighted in January 2024. At that time, DragonFire destroyed an aerial target with a high-power test shot.

The project cost around £100 million, equivalent to R$ 632 million, and is led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in partnership with the Ministry of Defence.

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High Accuracy and Lower Cost per Shot

Defense Secretary Grant Shapp declared that the new weaponry could transform the battlefield: “This type of cutting-edge weapon has the potential to revolutionize the battlefield space, reducing reliance on expensive munitions while decreasing the risk of collateral damage.”

One of the highlights of the laser system is the cost per shot. According to the British government, each shot costs less than €10, about R$ 62. Ten seconds of firing is equivalent to the cost of running a domestic heater for an hour.

How the DragonFire Laser System Works

DragonFire is a solid-state weapon with a power output of 50 kW. The system uses intense light beams based on fiber optics. Authorities claim that the shot reaches the speed of light.

During tests, the weapon was mounted on a tower with an electro-optical camera and a secondary laser. These elements are used to locate and focus on targets. The accuracy is also impressive: the British assure that it can hit a coin from a kilometer away.

Technical Information Remains Confidential

Despite advances in research and preparations for use on ships, British authorities have decided to keep the technical details of the laser weapon confidential. The expectation now is to monitor the next steps until 2027, when DragonFire is expected to officially become part of the Royal Navy’s fleet.

With information from Olhar Digital.

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United Kingdom To Equip Warships With Laser Weapon — Government Claims The System Can Reach The Speed Of Light And Hit A Coin 1 km Away

United Kingdom Begins Installing Military Laser on Warships. Weapon Is More Accurate, Faster, and More Cost-Effective Than Conventional Munitions

Technology Will Be Delivered Ahead of Schedule

High Accuracy and Lower Cost per Shot

How the DragonFire Laser System Works

Technical Information Remains Confidential

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United Kingdom To Equip Warships With Laser Weapon — Government Claims The System Can Reach The Speed Of Light And Hit A Coin 1 km Away

United Kingdom Begins Installing Military Laser on Warships. Weapon Is More Accurate, Faster, and More Cost-Effective Than Conventional Munitions

Technology Will Be Delivered Ahead of Schedule

High Accuracy and Lower Cost per Shot

How the DragonFire Laser System Works

Technical Information Remains Confidential

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

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China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

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