An advance in anti-drone capability has been achieved by the British Army after a high-energy laser was fired from one of its vehicles for the first time.
The weapon was mounted on a Wolfhound and soldiers from 16th Regiment, Royal Artillery tracked and shot down hovering targets at Radnor Range in mid-Wales.
The device was developed by Defence Equipment and Support and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory together with an industry consortium led by Raytheon UK.
It works by directing an intense beam of infrared light towards its target using advanced sensors and tracking systems.
“This project is a significant step forward in increasing our lethality as an Army,” explained WO2 Matthew Anderson (SASC), trials manager for the mounted close combat trials and development group.
“Every engagement we’ve done has removed a drone from the sky and while we’ve been testing a variety of distances, speeds and altitudes, one thing has remained – how quickly the target can be taken out.
“It’s definitely a capability that could be added to the arsenal of weapons that we use on the battlefield.”
"This represents a more cost-effective solution to protect our troops"
Not only do lasers deliver a deadly effect at light speed, but they are much cheaper to operate compared with using bullets, rockets or missiles to down airborne platforms.
“This represents a more cost-effective solution to protect our troops,” added Stephen Waller, directed energy weapons team leader for Defence Equipment and Support.
He continued: “It is still an emerging technology, but the world has changed and we are seeing greater use of drones in the battlespace.
“Having the capability to track and eliminate these platforms will provide an operational advantage – and these successful trials have demonstrated that we are well on our way to achieving this.”
