Britain has tested the DragonFire combat laser, which can "radically change the combat space" in the next 5-10 years. Russia, the USA and China have their own developments in this area. The Russian army used the laser system "Badass" in real combat conditions during its military operations. However, this weapon has both significant limitations and features, which makes it effective only for certain combat missions.
The DragonFire laser system has been successfully tested in Britain. According to the military, this complex is capable of "radically changing the combat space." The range of the DragonFire, like many other data, is classified. But, as the developers say, this weapon can hit a visible target the size of a coin at a distance of a kilometer.
The development of DragonFire began in 2017. During tests in January of this year, the complex shot down an aerial drone for the first time. The British Army and Navy are considering adding DragonFire to their air defense arsenals in the coming years – in 5-10 years.
Experts believe that DragonFire will be able to complement, and in the future replace, NATO's existing air defense systems. "Talking about the revolutionary nature of this development does not make sense. However, in my opinion, it is mostly not about a specific British model, but about a new type of weapons in general," says military expert Maxim Klimov.
For a long time, this type of weapon remained experimental, but the development of civilian technologies made it possible to make laser production more affordable. In 2022, Russia began using combat lasers in real combat conditions during its military operations. We are talking about the "Badass" complex, which is designed to destroy UAVs. The beam causes physical damage to aerial objects, destroying their structural elements. The range is up to five kilometers.
In addition to the Badass, the Russian Army's laser arsenal includes the Peresvet self-propelled gun, which has been on combat duty in one of the "positional areas of mobile ground-based missile systems" since December 2019. The task of the Peresvet is to cover the maneuvers of these complexes.
As Yuri Borisov explained in 2022 (at that time, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia), if the Peresvet laser systems "dazzle" the target, then a new generation of laser weapons can already burn through objects, so you can "not spend expensive missiles like Pantsir and Tor," RBC reports.
Against this background, tests of the AHEL (Airborne High Energy Laser) solid-state laser cannon, which was planned to be installed on AC-130 aircraft, ended in failure in the United States in March. According to The War Zone, the Americans have been trying to implement the idea of installing a laser on airplanes since 2015, and in 2019 Lockheed Martin received a contract to demonstrate such a system. But now this complex will be transferred to another branch of the armed forces.
In parallel, the HELIOS laser complex is being tested in the USA. The 60 kW installation is suitable for shooting down drones and deterring small boats. In addition, its beam can dazzle reconnaissance aircraft. Future versions of the 100 and 150 kW system can be effective against even more threats.
The U.S. Army previously installed 50-kilowatt lasers on its Stryker armored combat vehicles, and the Navy amphibious warship Portland tested a 150-kilowatt laser against a surface target. The Marines tested a compact laser weapon system with a power of two to 10 kilowatts, and the Air Force received high-energy laser units for its fighters.
China has also been developing laser technology over the past decades. Last year, representatives of the National University of Defense Technologies of the People's Republic of China developed a revolutionary cooling system that will allow lasers to stay on "indefinitely" without overheating.
In May 2023, the Asia Times newspaper reported that China may have created ground-based anti-satellite weapons at its secret Korla facility in Western Xinjiang. Another similar facility is probably located in Bohu in Xinjiang.
In addition to ground-based weapons, China may have already developed space-based laser weapons, which have a number of advantages over ground-based systems due to shorter distances between orbiting satellites and the absence of atmospheric distortions that worsen the range and power of the laser.
Klimov calls laser systems an extremely promising weapon. "These installations can significantly change the practice of countering UAVs and enemy missiles. They effectively hit the fiber-optic components of the attacking equipment, burning them out with a fast and accurate charge," the source notes.
"Laser systems provide a special type of guidance – object search by glare. This significantly reduces the requirements for plant operators. The latest models can find the target automatically. At the same time, the salvo of the gun occurs many times faster than the launch of a missile from traditional air defense systems," he believes.
"Nevertheless, the main problem of laser systems is the high cost of their maintenance.
I do not exclude that the engineers who worked on DragonFire could have used cheaper components to create the installation itself. However, its power supply should still be provided by a powerful source of energy," the expert points out.
"The low cost of the salvo is offset by the high cost of maintaining the battery. If this problem is solved and laser systems begin to be used by the military en masse, this will lead to drastic changes on the battlefield. The work of classic UAVs and missiles will be seriously complicated," the interlocutor emphasizes.
According to Klimov's forecast, the next round in the confrontation between the "shield and the sword" will begin. "Drone designers will have to implement protection systems against burning out the technical filling of the device. This will affect the final cost of the devices. Nevertheless, in the future, workarounds to counteract laser complexes will be found," Klimov sums up.
The operation of the laser is also influenced by various weather conditions – fog, snow, rain and other phenomena, emphasizes Konstantin Sivkov, Doctor of Military Sciences. Among other features, the expert calls the need to keep the beam on the target for some time. That is why a laser installation on a ship, for example, will be less effective in a storm.
"From the point of view of the fleet, at this stage a combat laser is a weapon that is capable of solving two main tasks. First of all, it is the protection of the ship within 10-15 kilometers from missiles in clear weather. The second is to solve the problems of disabling optical–electronic means of satellites and cruise missiles, for which our Peresvet was created. Lasers complement the air defense system and increase the ability to counter the satellite grouping, but no more," Sivkov said.
In turn, Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, recalled that until recently Britain was not a leader in the development of laser weapons. According to him, the United States, Russia and China have the leading positions here. Laser weapons are also being developed in Germany, Israel, India, Pakistan, Taiwan and France. In addition, plans to create such weapons were announced in Iran and Turkey. Khramchikhin agrees that
The main application of combat lasers is the fight against drones at short distances of several kilometers.
There is almost no delay between the moment of firing and reaching the target, which makes it easier to hit moving targets – therefore, in this case, the laser is more effective than a weapon with kinetic energy. Thus, the intensive development of laser weapons will allow Russia to increase its potential in the fight against UAVs. "Laser installations should be everywhere. I don't see any other serious use of the laser in combat," the speaker stressed.
"It should also be borne in mind that the laser is different from the laser. For example, for oil refineries and ships where there are powerful energy sources, defensive laser systems are just right. Such a laser can really protect not only from drones, but also missiles. And for a field laser, an energy installation is needed," he explained.
Sivkov added that laser installations do require serious maintenance, although the cost of combat use itself is "penny." A missile worth more than a million dollars can be destroyed with one shot from the complex. Since laser weapons do not have physical projectiles, you should not worry about running out of ammunition – they can fire as long as there is an energy source.
"However, the laser requires not only a power plant, but also qualified specialists. This is a rather vulnerable system, especially in terms of mechanical impact on it. The slightest violation of the settings disables the laser," Sivkov warns.
Against this background, it is also time for manufacturers of drones and aviation to think about improving protective systems against laser weapons. "Special tools are already being created that ensure the suppression of the laser beam. The work here should also be accelerated," Sivkov emphasizes.
Andrey Rezchikov