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Topic: Naval Warfare Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Europe Tags: Directed Energy Weapon, DragonFire, Lasers, NATO, Royal Navy, and United Kingdom Britain Is Betting Big on the “DragonFire” Anti-Drone Laser January 18, 2026 By: Brandon J. Weichert
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The “DragonFire” laser system will cost as little as £10 per shot—a vast decrease from existing anti-drone missiles, which can cost tens of thousands at a minimum.
The British military is investing £20 million to develop laser-based directed-energy weapons to better defend key military bases and critical infrastructure from hostile drones and other small aerial threats.
The Age of Drones Is Upon Us
Already, both Europe and the United States have been plagued by mysterious drone swarms—many of which have ended up near or directly over sensitive military facilities. The Ukraine War has demonstrated how drones can be used to devastate even the most advanced, expensive military platforms, too. Thus, the need for robust anti-drone technologies is essential.
And with Britain’s poor defense industrial base, and its collapsing economic and military power, the country needs every bit of defense it can get—notably in the wake of London’s bizarre threats lobbed at Russia over their unwanted presence in Ukraine.
Funding for this project is part of a larger British Ministry of Defense (MoD), via the United Kingdom Defense Innovation (UKDI), that is putting more money into enhancing Britain’s existing drone capabilities as well as its counter-drone capabilities.
The “DragonFire” Anti-Drone System Is the Best in the World
The DragonFire directed energy laser weapon, which is a British-made high-power laser system designed to burn drones out of the sky, is the centerpiece of Britain’s new anti-drone defenses. DragonFire can also defeat other targets, such as mortar rounds, due to its highly focused energy beam.
Further, in an era in which the Western nations are increasingly cash-strapped for their own defense, a laser system—if it works as advertised—would be cheaper than a conventional defense system in that energy weapons are cheaper cost-per-shot—around £10 per engagement, according to British publication LBC.
Compared to a conventional anti-drone missile system—such as the Sea Viper, which costs £1 million per missile—the upside for a cash-strapped nation such as the UK is obvious.
DragonFire and the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyer
Defense News reports that the United Kingdom government has already signed a deal to install DragonFire laser systems on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers beginning around next year (which is, in fact, five years earlier than anticipated). That deal is appraised to be worth around £300 million.
Crucially, the DragonFire laser system is not intended to be a panacea. The system is meant to be used in tandem with other air defense systems in the UK arsenal, such as warplanes, missiles, radar, and the like. Nevertheless, DragonFire offers an efficient way to defeat swarms of cheap drones and other small threats without breaking Britain’s strained defense budget.
Britain’s £20 million laser expenditure is on top of a larger UK push of more than £140 million into drone and counter-drone technologies that can only be described as desperate acts of a country just barely hanging on in the current threat environment.
This move by Britain mirrors movements in places, like the United States, Israel, and Ukraine—which are all feverishly developing their own laser or directed-energy counter-drone technologies.
DragonFire Might Work. Will the UK’s Defense Industry Follow?
Directed energy itself is something that has long fascinated defense planners. That’s because these weapons are viewed as potentially quite powerful defenders of sensitive facilities.
Ultimately, Britain wants to move toward possessing laser anti-drone systems that are cheap, precise, and add another impenetrable layer of raw energy into its mixture of air defense platforms.
And it’s not only on land where the UK is developing these anti-drone laser systems. DragonFire, for instance, is designed to defend British destroyers at sea. It’s both ground-based and sea-based anti-drone defense. If the UK is successful, they will have achieved a significant capability that will protect their country from unwanted drone incursions. But it’s the larger British military picture that the nation should be worried about.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Weichert hosts a companion book talk series on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Simon Edge.
The post Britain Is Betting Big on the “DragonFire” Anti-Drone Laser appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org