- Laser shots cost about £10 compared with £1 million Sea Viper missiles.
- New funding targets drones near military sites and infrastructure.
- Moves follow rising concern over Russian activity across Europe.
Britain is moving to expand its use of laser-based defences, with the Ministry of Defence confirming new “directed energy weapons” will complement the DragonFire systems planned for Royal Navy destroyers from 2027.
The work sits within a £300 million defence deal and is aimed squarely at countering drones and other low-cost airborne threats.
DragonFire uses a high-power laser to disable targets such as drones and mortar rounds. During trials above the Hebrides, MoD footage showed a fixed-wing drone struck by the beam, its structure melting before it fell.
Officials say each laser shot costs about £10, making it a far cheaper option than traditional interceptors.
To stop cheap threats
By contrast, Sea Viper missiles fired from Royal Navy destroyers can cost up to £1 million per launch. The MoD says the new £20 million laser investment forms part of a wider £30 million package for Britain’s drone defences funded by UK Defence Innovation, which backs emerging military technologies.
An MoD spokesperson said laser weapons offer “significant potential” for defence and civil uses, adding that further investment is under way to complement DragonFire and keep the UK at the forefront of the technology, as quoted in a news report.
Former RAF air vice-marshal Phillip Lester described the technology as promising but stressed integration would be key.
Lasers could be used to protect priority locations rather than blanket the entire country, he reportedly said, pointing to the need to safeguard critical infrastructure and key military sites.
Rising tensions, sharper focus
The push comes as tensions with Russia continue to simmer.
Moscow has dismissed claims after a recent incursion into UK waters, while Russian officials later said they were “not interested in British underwater communications” following the sighting of an intelligence-gathering ship near UK seas.
Elsewhere, a sanctioned Russian tanker was seen sailing through the English Channel days after a Kremlin-flagged vessel was seized off Iceland by the US and allies.
The tanker had previously been sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control and was later reflagged to Cameroon under a different name.
Across Europe, suspected Russian drone activity has been reported in at least 15 NATO member states. Germany and Belgium have seen the highest number of sightings, often near airports and military facilities.
On September 9, Polish radar detected 19 unmanned aircraft entering its airspace from Ukraine and Belarus, prompting fighter jet scrambles by Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has described the pattern as a coordinated campaign of hybrid warfare, while Germany’s chancellor has publicly linked incidents to Moscow. In the UK, MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli cited drones over airports and airbases as examples of grey-zone tactics in a speech last December.
Some military commentators point to Israel’s Iron Beam as a sign of where air defence is heading, arguing that lasers work best as part of a layered system.
UK officials stop short of direct comparisons, but ministers say the aim is clear: reduce reliance on expensive missiles while improving resilience against the growing drone threat.
Defence minister Luke Pollard said DragonFire would place the Royal Navy at the leading edge of NATO innovation and support jobs across the UK, as reported.
For now, the focus remains practical—testing, integrating and deciding where lasers make the most sense as Britain adapts to a changing security landscape.
