Unveiling fancy new technology is one of the strategies the government can use to show Brits that they take defence seriously. In recent months, UK officials have made a big deal of Dragonfire, the UK’s new laser system that promises to blast a drone out of the sky for the same price as a takeaway. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps even suggested that prototype versions could be sent to Ukraine help them fight Russian forces, though it is not included in recent aid packages.
However, the shortcomings of Dragonfire demonstrate how hard it is to completely remove the threat of drones, and the need for the UK to look beyond niche weapons systems.
It’s important to understand what new weapons can and cannot achieve
Dragonfire does offer real advantages in some situations. Lasers, along with other directed energy weapons like microwaves, are capable of downing drones as well as more limited actions like damaging a drone’s optics without downing it. Using a laser instead of a missile also reduces the risk of collateral damage, since only the drone debris falls from the sky instead of debris from a drone and a large missile. The US military is introducing several smaller laser systems for these reasons.
But the main draw is cost. Dragonfire, and lasers like it, are cheaper ‘per shot’ than many other kinds of air defence. Sea Ceptor missiles, which the Royal Navy used to shoot down Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea, likely cost hundreds of thousands of pounds each. Compare that to Dragonfire, which claims that each ‘shot’ costs about 13 pounds. It’s easy to see why ministers are eager to deploy a system that keeps costs manageable.
Lasers are, however, only a partial solution to the drone threat, at sea and on land. Dragonfire is cheaper than air defence systems, but it also has a significantly shorter range. In 2022 tests, the maximum range was 3.4km (2.1 miles), though the system’s true range is classified and probably a bit longer. Laser rangers are also affected by bad weather, which adds a layer of uncertainty. For the Royal Navy, understanding the range of Dragonfire under adverse conditions is vital.
Lasers will also have limited uses in home defence. They may prove useful defending a small area, like a military base or high-profile sports venue, but air defence systems with longer range are still required to protect the bulk of the UK’s airspace. In early May, Sky News reported on concerns that the UK’s air defence was not suitable to defend critical infrastructure from barrages of drones and missiles like those faced by Ukraine. Lasers like Dragonfire may have a limited role to play, but that will depend on how much the Ministry of Defence is willing to invest in traditional air defence systems.
Drones are increasingly a feature of crime and terrorism in the UK. In late January, a small drone carrying drugs crashed near a prison in Edinburgh. Last year, the UK government recorded 54 drone incidents near prisons. In one case, a single drone carrying £75,000 worth of drugs, knives, and phones was recovered by police after it crashed.
It’s not just drones flying into prisons that worries the authorities. Last year a student was convicted of building a drone for Isis at home with the help of a 3D printer. London Gatwick Airport, the second busiest in the UK, has been shut down by a suspected drone sighting twice since 2018. In theory, lasers could help defend places like Gatwick, but in practice it would be difficult to place a laser near every potential target in Britain.
It’s important to understand what new weapons can and cannot achieve. Lasers may reduce costs in some cases, but that may be not much help compared to what the UK and other countries will need to spend to be absolutely sure that their skies are safe.
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