Written question asked by John Healey (Labour) on Monday, 22 January 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 January 2024. It was answered by James Cartlidge (Conservative) on Tuesday, 30 January 2024 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Lasers: Weapons

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the DE&S press release entitled DE&S negotiate contracts to put lasers in hands of British Army and Royal Navy, published on 14 Sept 2021, when his Department plans to undertake the first tests of a directed energy weapon onboard a Type 23 frigate.

Answer: The Ministry of Defence announced three Directed Energy Weapons Capability Demonstrator contracts in 2021, which were designed to increase knowledge and understanding in the military on how to operate, maintain and integrate Directed Energy Weapons onto complex platforms to inform future capability decisions. These were ambitious projects in both time and scope, and the specific T23 demonstrator contract was concluded early in order to focus resource on the wider Directed Energy Weapons Programme, as outlined in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023. Live firing will be conducted from the Land based demonstrators in 2024, which will also inform Navy Programmes.

Secondary information