In the UK, the first successful tests of new weapons were held: the target in the air struck a powerful laser.
Experts believe that this laser can be an inexpensive alternative to missiles in the air defense system: it will be able to knock down, for example, drones.
According to representatives of the British , the accuracy of weapons called Dragonfire is such that it is able to hit a coin of 1 pound from a distance of one kilometer.
The laser weapon system is developed by the Defense Scientific and Technical Laboratory (DSTL) together with industrial partners commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense.
The Ministry of Defense has called a test at the HEBrid Islands in Scotland an important step towards adopting the technology.
Defense Minister Grant Chapsa said that this technology would reduce the dependence on expensive ammunition and reduce the risk of related losses.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the possibility of using this technology in their air defense means is considered by both the army and the royal fleet.
Leading military states began to develop laser weapons in the middle of the last century.
The US Navy has already installed laser systems on several destruction. However, for example, they have shot not a laser in the Red Sea on the Red Sea in the Red Sea, but still rockets.
Anti-aircraft missiles are usually much more expensive than drones: rockets can cost hundreds of thousands and even more than a million dollars, and relatively simple Kamikadze drones-tens of thousands.
According to the UK Ministry of Defense, the Dragonfire system spends as much energy in 10 seconds as a regular household heater within an hour. In total, the cost of operating the system is less than 10 pounds (approximately $ 13) per shot.
The Dragonfire system range is classified.
"These trials have allowed us to take a huge step forward in realizing potential and understanding of threats related to the weapons of directional energy," said DSTL Hallinshead head.
The development of laser weapons occurs against the backdrop of wider use of drones during hostilities, which is especially noticeable in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
