He’ll hit the coin from a mile away. It works at the speed of light. The British are testing a new superweapon

The armies of many countries around the world have been interested in laser weapons for a long time. but this time the British boasted another success. In January, the DragonFire laser they were building was tested for the first time at the Hebrides Range training ground belonging to the British Ministry of Defense (MOD).

It will hit the coin from a mile away at the speed of light. This is the new British laser cannon

The British boast that DragonFire is a mobile cannon that concentrates a huge amount of light in one place, damaging the structure of the material and ultimately destroying the target. According to the British government, DragonFire can hit any target in its field of view from ground level and is extremely precise. The level of accuracy was compared to hitting a one-pound coin from a distance of one kilometer. It was also noted that the range of the device is confidential.

Importantly, the costs of using the cannon are basically negligible compared to the use of conventional rockets. A single shot costs just £10. Thanks to this, it is intended to be a long-term, cheap alternative for the British in some tasks previously performed using rockets. MOD adds that the laser weapon is also extremely fast, because it works at the speed of light. It was also noted that high aiming precision allows to reduce erroneous hits.

DragonFire is the first high-power energy focusing weapon to be used during a range test by firing at an (unannounced) air target in flight. According to the Ministry of Defense, the achievement is another milestone in the development of this type of military technology. The project is managed by the Dstl (Defense Science and Technology Laboratory) subordinate to MOD, with the support of commercial partners – MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ.

The work currently being carried out on DragonFire is – as written – part of a “multi-million program aimed at transferring the technology from the research environment to the battlefield.” The investment has so far amounted to 100 million pounds.

This is a truly innovative application of science and engineering, the result of continuous investment and effort. DragonFire uses the highest achievements of science and technology and provides significantly greater performance than other systems of a similar class. It provides a step change, allowing you to deal with threats efficiently and cheaply

– said Dr. Nick Joad, who takes part in the project.

Laser cannons such as DragonFire are to be mounted primarily on wheeled vehicles and ships in the future. They are also intended to be a real response to the growing threat posed by drones, which are increasingly used on the battlefield. However, MOD does not indicate when DragonFire will actually be able to enter service.