The problem with Britain’s cheap military lasers

Unveiling fancy new technology is one of the strategies the government can use to show Brits that they take defence seriously. In recent months, UK officials have made a big deal of Dragonfire, the UK’s new laser system that promises to blast a drone out of the sky for the same price as a takeaway. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps even suggested that prototype versions could be sent to Ukraine help them fight Russian forces, though it is not included in recent aid packages. 

However, the shortcomings of Dragonfire demonstrate how hard it is to completely remove the threat of drones, and the need for the UK to look beyond niche weapons systems.

Dragonfire does offer real advantages in some situations. Lasers, along with other directed energy weapons like microwaves, are capable of downing drones as well as more limited actions like damaging a drone’s optics without downing it. Using a laser instead of a missile also reduces the risk of collateral damage, since only the drone debris falls from the sky instead of debris from a drone and a large missile.