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Dragonfire Consortium UK showcased a model of its new Laser Directed Energy Weapon for the first time on the Royal Navy stand at DSEI 2017 in London. The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), had recently awarded a contract worth £30 million to the Dragonfire consortium to demonstrate the potential of Laser Directed Energy Weapons (LDEW). Dstl supplies high-impact science and technology for the defense and security of the United Kingdom (UK).
UK Dragonfire, led by MBDA in the UK under contract to Dstl, has brought together the best of relevant UK industry expertise to deliver the highly challenging and complex programme. The team capitalizes on the strengths of the individual companies involved, which include QinetiQ, Leonardo, GKN, Arke, BAE Systems and Marshall Land Systems.
The Dragonfire solution is based on unique technical approaches developed in the UK under MOD and industry funding centered on high energy lasers and will address the challenges associated with engaging aerial targets safely. It represents the major element of the Dstl led LDEW project, which draws on expertise across Dstl and contributes to internal collaborative programmes.
At DSEI, the consortium, for the first time, revealed the design of the turret – known as a beam director – that will be used to trial the new technology. The beam director, which will be provided by Leonardo, brings together QinetiQ’s powerful laser emitter, as well as world-class electro-optics for target identification and tracking. MBDA has brought prime weapon system delivery experience and advanced weapon system command and control (C2) and image processing capability to UK Dragonfire, in addition to co-ordinating the overall effort.
Among the uses of LDEW systems are providing very short-range air defence capability, close-in protection for naval vessels, counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and protecting friendly forces from mortar and artillery attack. A key benefit of the Dragonfire LDEW technology is that the base system is highly adaptable and its effects are highly scaleable. As such it offers a range of different engagement solutions depending on the tactical scenario, these include tracking, deterring, dazzling the sensors of a potential threat, up to damaging or destroying it.
The LDEW technology provides operational advantage to the UK military and the potential to export such systems in support of the Prosperity agenda, as advocated in the UK’s 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, by developing on-shore industrial capability. Testing of the demonstrator will begin on UK ranges in 2018, culminating in a major demonstration in 2019.
