UK Military Promoting Innovation in Laser Weapons
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The UK military is getting anti-drone laser weapons. The British Ministry of Defence has awarded three directed-energy weapon demonstrator contracts totaling £72.5 million ($100 million) to British industry teams. The move will see demonstrator trials take place with systems mounted aboard a Royal Navy Type 23 vessel, a truck, and an armored vehicle, according to the MoD.
Two of the demonstrators will use laser weapons, while a third program will involve a radio-frequency weapon. All of the work is part of the British Novel Weapons Programme.
Two of the contract awards have gone to teams led by Thales UK and a third deal has been secured by Raytheon UK.
“Directed energy weapons are a key element of our future equipment programs and we intend to become a world-leader in the research, manufacture and implementation of this next-generation technology,” announced UK Defence Procurement Minister Jermey Quin.
A laser weapon demonstrator will be delivered for user experimentation on a Type 23 frigate.
A high-power radio frequency demonstrator system will be delivered for up to six months of user experimentation led by the British Army using a MAN SV truck as the platform. A laser demonstrator onboard a Wolfhound armored vehicle will run for up to six months of user experimentation led by the British Army. User experiments will include counter-UAV and other air threats, as well as prosecuting land-based targets.
The trials are scheduled to get underway in 2023 and be complete by 2025, according to defensenews.com.
