The British government claims its DragonFire laser can kill drones and costs less than $13 per shot.
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| The UK has test fired the DragonFire high energy laser weapon against ‘aerial targets’ for the first time (UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) |
The British army has successfully tested a high-powered laser weapon designed to kill drones.
The British government announced that on January 19, the laser weapon called "DragonFire" passed its first test and killed many drones on the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland.
Currently, drone attacks can be neutralized by expensive drones that cost up to $2 million each. But the British government has said operating costs for the new lasers are "generally less than £10 (about $13) per session". The statement stated that its maximum range was classified, but that the weapon "can hit any visible target."
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| A mock-up of the DragonFire turret on display at Farnborough. Credit: Tony Osborne/Aviation Week |
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in his statement, "This state-of-the-art weapon has the potential to transform the battlefield by reducing dependence on expensive artillery while also reducing casualties."
Anti-drone laser is a defensive weapon designed to disable or intercept unmanned aerial vehicles and subsonic missiles. It can kill people at higher altitudes than missiles and It is less destructive.. it is used today. Although these systems are not widely used, many countries, including the United States, Germany, Israel and Turkey, have developed this technology.
This is part of the difficulty and high cost of making the guide beam that fires the laser at the target. Counter-drone lasers also have a much shorter range than conventional anti-drone missiles and cannot deliver enough energy to hit hypersonic objects moving five times faster than the speed of sound.
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| How the system would work. |
The laser gun also needs to be adjusted appropriately. If the beam is too strong, its interaction with the air will cause the beam to break, but if the beam is not too strong, the target will not be affected. Additionally, water droplets can be absorbed or scattered onto the beam, rendering it ineffective in bad weather conditions. Gianluca Sarri, professor of physics at Queen's University Belfast and an expert on lasers, said:
The accuracy of the gun in rough water is still unclear. This means its use will be restricted in rough seas, an article on Discussion said.
"This is like standing on the balance table and trying to hit the dartboard." “However, this only affects the accuracy of the weapon without risk of damage.”
The British government has said it will continue to invest in laser protection technology ahead of plans to roll out the technology, But time will tell when and how this will continue to evolve.