Responding to increased defense discussions taking place in Europe, the United Kingdom has decided to confirm a new injection of funds to the ministry led by John Healey on the path to achieving the spending target of 2.5% of GDP invested by 2030, which will allow the country’s Armed Forces to advance various ongoing projects and expand their reach. Among the most notable, it has been reported that the Royal Navy will have sufficient funds to deploy its new DragonFire laser systems on its Type 45 destroyers, which are one of the pillars of air defense in the institution’s plans.
According to local specialized media, the news would also allow the Royal Navy to expand the number of ships carrying the advanced laser system in question to four, considering that until now only one ship was scheduled to be installed by 2027. Although there is still no official confirmation from London, the selection of the Type 45s is considered the most technically feasible, considering that they have the necessary capabilities to generate additional power (50 kW) that can be supplied to DragonFire.
It is worth noting, in order to review the qualities of the DragonFire system, that it is a directed energy weapon especially useful for improving the air defense of British ships, and has been developed since 2017 by a consortium led by the European company MBDA in conjunction with the British government. Its main advantage lies in its ability to fire against multiple types of highly mobile threats at a considerably lower cost than current missile-based solutions, considering that it could use virtually inexhaustible ammunition and with an estimated firing cost of around 10 pounds, which helps balance the cost scale when countering enemy drones and missiles.
It is also worth mentioning that this is not the only system of this type developed by the United Kingdom, as the Army is also developing its own radio frequency directed energy (RFDEW) systems. Like DragonFire, the main objective of this development is to find new, cost-effective solutions against enemy drone threats, in this case, mounted on a ground vehicle that provides greater mobility.
Finally, it should be mentioned that while the new budget boost London has assigned to its Ministry of Defense would allow progress on multiple equipment projects, this will not be the only purpose for which the funds will be used. Specifically, at least part of this funding injection is expected to be used to improve Royal Navy military facilities to provide service members and their families with better housing. While the issue may seem minor at first glance, it has become one of the main complaints leveled at the defense ministry, resulting in significant troop recruitment and maintenance problems.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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