Britain invests £20m in DragonFire laser weapons to protect against drone attacks

This approach mirrors Israel's recently unveiled Iron Beam system, which supplements its existing Iron Dome missile shield.

The Royal Navy will receive DragonFire, a high-intensity laser system capable of incinerating drones, mortar rounds and even brick walls, aboard Type 45 destroyers beginning in 2027. This deployment forms part of a £300 million defence contract.

A MoD spokesman said: "Laser weapon technology offers significant potential across a wide range of defence and civil applications. We are actively exploring opportunities, particularly in counter-drone systems."

The financial advantage of DragonFire over conventional weaponry is stark. Each laser shot costs approximately £10, while the Sea Viper missiles currently used by destroyers to neutralise incoming threats carry a price tag of £1 million apiece.

The system's precision has impressed researchers, with the laser demonstrating the ability to strike a target as small as a pound coin from a kilometre's distance.

Recent trials have confirmed DragonFire can eliminate small unmanned aircraft travelling at speeds up to 650 km/h.

Footage released by the MoD showed the weapon striking a fixed-wing drone during tests above the Hebrides, with the intense beam melting the aircraft's structure and sending it plummeting earthward.

Suspected Russian drone activity has surged across Europe in recent months, with suspicious incidents reported in at least 15 NATO member states.

Germany and Belgium have experienced the highest frequency of sightings, with more than half occurring near airports and roughly a quarter above military facilities including barracks, airbases and ammunition depots.

On 9 September, Polish radar detected 19 unmanned Russian combat aircraft entering the country's airspace from Ukraine and Belarus, prompting Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands to scramble fighter jets in response.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen characterised these incidents as a "coherent and escalating campaign" of hybrid warfare, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz directly attributed suspicious activity in his country to Moscow.

MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli, in her inaugural speech last December, cited drones appearing over airports and airbases as evidence of Russia's grey-zone tactics.

Colonel Richard Kemp, a former infantry battalion commanding officer, described Israel's Iron Beam as a "game-changer".

"It is not only more effective than Iron Dome, especially against missile or drone swarms, but each shot is also much cheaper. It shifts the current balance of using hugely expensive interceptors against inexpensive drones," he said.

"Britain should follow Israel's example in developing laser defences as part of a multi-layer air defence system, which proved its worth in the last two years of war in the Middle East. With an ever-growing aerial threat to our country we are still worryingly exposed."

Retired RAF Air Vice-Marshal Phillip Lester noted that Britain's size makes comprehensive airspace coverage impractical, unlike Israel. However, he suggested laser technology could provide point defence around priority locations.

"There are key military sites and critical infrastructure that we might want to prioritise for protection in order to ensure national resilience and the preservation of national capability," Mr Lester said.