Ukraine has still not received confirmation of the transfer of the British DragonFire laser
Kyiv • UNN
Britain is accelerating the development of DragonFire and investing £490 million in laser weapons. There is no confirmation that the prototype has been transferred to Ukraine.
The United Kingdom continues to develop laser weapons; however, there is still no public confirmation that a prototype of the DragonFire system has been transferred to Ukraine. Defense Express reported this on August 22, UNN writes.
Details
The British Ministry of Defence is not currently disclosing details of other directed-energy weapons programs. Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Defence Industry Luke Pollard said that further announcements about such systems would be made as needed.
Over the next four years, the United Kingdom plans to allocate £490 million, or approximately $668 million, to directed-energy weapons. The funds are intended, in particular, for the DragonFire program and for establishing the foundation for the next generation of laser systems.
Britain is developing laser systems for various platforms
This concerns not only naval systems. The British are also working on the possibility of deploying directed-energy weapons on ground platforms. Back in 2024, a high-precision laser system for combating drones was tested on a Wolfhound armored vehicle, which is in service with the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
DragonFire is regarded as a system capable of engaging aerial targets, including attack drones. One of the main advantages of laser weapons is the low cost of their direct use compared with conventional missile systems. At the same time, laser complexes themselves remain expensive, and their development and operation involve a number of technological limitations.
According to Defense Express, the cost of one DragonFire prototype was estimated at approximately $163 million. At the same time, production systems may be cheaper, and their operation could potentially cost less.
The British side previously stated its intention to transfer a DragonFire prototype to Ukraine for testing. However, there is currently no public information confirming that the system has actually been delivered to the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
At the same time, work on DragonFire is continuing at an accelerated pace. In particular, British developers are working to reduce the system's size, while information about other British laser programs remains limited.