The British Army have successfully tested the first ever UK high-energy laser weapon system mounted on an armoured vehicle, using it to destroy flying drones at an Army range.

The laser was integrated onto a Wolfhound, a protected troop-carrying vehicle, with soldiers from 16 Royal Artillery able to track and cut down hovering targets at Radnor Range in mid-Wales.

The weapon works by directing an intense beam of infra-red light in the form of energy towards its target, using advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock-on and accuracy in real time.

According to the UK Government, these laser weapons are virtually limitless in terms of ammunition supply, unlike conventional munitions, meaning they could represent a cost-effective alternative to current in-service weapons.

Warrant Officer Matthew Anderson, trials manager for the British Army’s Mounted Close Combat Trials and Development Group, said: “Every engagement we’ve done has removed a drone from the sky.

“While we’ve been testing a variety of distances, speeds and altitudes, one thing has remained – how quick a drone can be taken out. It’s definitely a capability that could be added to the arsenal of weapons that we use on the battlefield.” 

The government said that the purpose of the demonstrator is to explore and assess the potential applications of directed energy weapons, while ensuring the UK remains competitive in adopting disruptive technologies.

The laser has been developed through a collaboration between the MOD’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) – known as Team Hersa – and an industry consortium led by Raytheon UK.

As well as Raytheon, Fraser Nash, NP Aerospace, LumOptica, Blighter Surveillance Systems and Cambridge Pixel have been involved in developing the weapon under a £16.8 million contract awarded by Team Hersa.

Following the trial, the MOD said it will take the learnings of the project into account to assess the necessary steps to develop Laser Directed Energy Weapons for frontline use.

“The successful testing of the Laser Directed Energy Weapon demonstrator is an important step towards a future capability,” said Matt Cork, head of Team Hersa at Dstl.

“This technology has the potential to offer a credible and cost-effective means to defeat a range of current and future threats, which would improve the effectiveness of our armed forces.”

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The last year has seen increasing development and testing of laser weapon systems in the UK. In January, the ‘DragonFire’ laser-directed energy weapon was tested against aerial targets in the Hebribes following tests at Porton Down in England, while in October the RAF initiated a project that it’s hoped will bring laser defence systems to fighter pilots.

It isn’t just laser technology being explored for frontline use, either. In August, autonomous, AI-enabled drones were trialled by AUKUS, the trilateral defence partnership between the UK, US, and Australia, which has been cited as the first use of autonomy and AI sensing systems in real-time military environments. 

Meanwhile, the minister for defence procurement and industry, Maria Eagle MP, recently said that the MOD was looking to create a ‘Productivity Portfolio’ to identify use cases for emerging technology like genAI, and in response to a written question in parliament, went further, saying that AI was being considered ‘for a range of military applications’.