Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 30 March 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Lasers: Weapons
- Question
-
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to accelerate the development, testing, production and installation of DragonFire.
- Answer
-
The UK Government is committed to accelerating the development, testing, production, and installation of the DragonFire high energy laser system. The UK remains on track to become the first European NATO nation to bring advanced laser directed energy technology into service. Two major periods of firing trials, conducted successfully in 2025, have been instrumental in advancing the system's readiness for service and operational capability.
In November 2025, the Ministry of Defence awarded a contract to MBDA for the delivery of the first two DragonFire units, with the first of these scheduled for installation on a Type 45 destroyer in 2027, five years earlier than originally planned. This programme exemplifies the MOD's commitment to supporting British technical excellence and rapidly integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance the capabilities of our Armed Forces.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- HL15729
- Session
- 2024-26
- Subjects
- Deployment Lasers Production Research Weapons
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-03-30 15:03:58 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL15729
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL15729
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL15729