The British Military Has Declassified Video Of Combat Tests Of Laser Weapons

The UK Ministry of Defense has published a video of the DragonFire laser “weapon of the future” firing at air targets.

Tests of the prototype of the British combat laser of the DragonFire project with a power of 50 kW took place at a test site in Scotland. Like other installations of this kind, a powerful beam is formed by spectral addition of radiation from several fiber-optic channels from less powerful solid-state (semiconductor) lasers. Tests of the first prototype showed the correctness of the chosen strategy and will form the basis for the second generation of combat lasers, which will already enter service. There is also the task of finding components for the production of combat lasers in the UK. Now the equipment is purchased abroad.

The weapon is said to strike targets at the speed of light and uses an intense beam of light to cut right through the target. Using a laser for 10 seconds is equivalent in cost to using a conventional heater for an hour. The cost of operating a DragonFire is typically less than £10 per shot.