Britain has awarded a £316 million ($413 million) contract to MBDA UK to supply DragonFire laser systems for the Royal Navy, aiming to strengthen defenses against potential drone threats.
A government statement said the system “will be installed on a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by 2027” and highlighted that DragonFire “recently shot down high-speed drones in new trials.”
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The laser system is highly cost-efficient, with each shot priced at just £10, compared with hundreds of thousands of pounds for traditional missiles.
MBDA UK will work alongside Britain’s QinetiQ and Italy’s Leonardo on the project. The government added that the contract “will sustain 590 jobs across the UK.”