Source: £10-a-shot laser weapon blasts drone out the sky in major military first
Forget Star Wars, laser weapons are here for real after the UK successfully fired a high-powered beam at aerial targets.
Named DragonFire, the laser costs around £10 per shot. In comparison, destroyer missiles can cost around £1million each.
The range of the weapon remains classified, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement that the precision involved in the testing was equivalent to hitting a £1 coin from a kilometre away.
It is a line-of-sight weapon and can ‘engage with any visible target’.
According to The Times, it destroyed incoming drones from several miles away, and could be ready for use on ships in five years.
Testing of the system, which cost £100 million to develop, took place at the Ministry of Defence’s Hebrides Range in Scotland.
忘记星球大战吧，英国成功向空中目标发射高能光束后，激光武器就真正出现了。 这种激光名为 DragonFire，每次发射的成本约为 10 英镑。相比之下，每枚驱逐舰导弹的成本约为 100 万英镑。 该武器的射程仍属于机密，但英国国防部在一份声明中表示，测试的精度相当于在一公里外击中一枚 1 英镑的硬币。 它是一种视距武器，可以“与任何可见目标交战”。 据《泰晤士报》报道，它可以摧毁几英里外的来袭无人机，并可能在五年内准备好在船上使用。
该系统的测试耗资 1 亿英镑开发，在国防部苏格兰的赫布里底山脉进行。
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