Britain plans to deploy the DragonFire high-energy laser aboard its Type 45 destroyers by 2027, making it the first European state to field an operational ship-based laser weapon. The initiative represents a major shift in allied naval defence strategy, dramatically reducing per-shot engagement costs and reshaping counter-drone and missile defence methods across NATO fleets.
Royal Navy leaders say the service is preparing for a transformative capability leap as DragonFire advances toward ship integration. Early trials have proven the system’s ability to engage and destroy small airborne targets at tactically relevant ranges, and integration is expected to speed up once required power and cooling upgrades are finalized. Meeting the 2027 fielding timeline would position the UK at the forefront of naval directed-energy weapon deployment, reflecting urgent operational demands and a need to counter affordable aerial threats.
Developed jointly by MBDA UK, QinetiQ, and Leonardo, DragonFire is intended as a combat-ready system. It is designed to counter UAVs, loitering munitions, fast-attack boats, and potentially incoming missiles, offering a critical answer to swarming and saturation attacks.
The weapon uses a 50-kilowatt-class laser operating in the short-wave infrared band, generated through a coherent beam-combining method that aligns and merges multiple fibre-laser sources into a single concentrated beam. This enables precise energy delivery over extended distances with high beam quality.
