The British Army has destroyed airborne drones using a laser weapon for the first time.
The system, which was mounted on a Wolfhound armoured vehicle, destroyed all of the targets it locked on to during the test at Radnor Range in central Wales, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
The weapon works by directing a sensor-guided beam of intense infrared light at its target. The MoD said laser weapons could be a cost-effective alternative to some current weaponry because they are “virtually limitless” in terms of ammunition supply.
“Every engagement we've done has removed a drone from the sky,” said Warrant Officer Matthew Anderson, trials manager for the British Army's Mounted Close Combat Trials and Development Group.
“While we've been testing a variety of distances, speeds and altitudes, one thing has remained – how quick a drone can be taken out. It's definitely a capability that could be added to the arsenal of weapons that we use on the battlefield.”
Stephen Waller, a team leader at the MoD's Defence Equipment and Support agency, said drones are being used more often and the laser weapons would give troops a “better operational advantage”.
Minister for Defence Procurement Maria Eagle said the technology demonstrates Britain's commitment to staying at the forefront of military innovation.
“The successful testing of this laser weapon system represents a significant step forward in our development of possible future defence capabilities and showcases British engineering excellence,” she said.
From 2027, British warships will be fitted with the DragonFire laser, a directed energy weapon designed to cut through targets at the speed of light. The technology, which purportedly can hit a coin from a kilometre away, is designed to shoot down drones and missiles at the cost of £10 ($12.50) a shot.
Drones have been used in warfare for decades. The first unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were developed in Britain and the US during the First World War, according to London's Imperial War Museum.
However, neither the UK-developed small radio aircraft, Aerial Target, or the American aerial torpedo, the Kettering Bug, were used operationally during the war.
Drones were first used on a large scale in the Vietnam War, when they were “used in a range of new roles, such as acting as decoys in combat, launching missiles against fixed targets and dropping leaflets for psychological operations”, according to the museum.
They are playing an increasing role in conflicts such as Russia’s war against Ukraine and in attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes by Houthi militants.
The Wolfhound laser test took place after the British Army staged a war game to evaluate how the country’s supplies of ammunition and equipment would hold up during a conflict.
The military exercise involved “real-time, wartime scenarios” that put supply chains under stress, focusing on artillery weapons and drones – three years after the army ran out of ammunition before the completion of a 10-day exercise.
