Team Blitz India
LONDON: Ukraine may soon receive UK’s DragonFire laser system to counter threat posed by low-cost drones. Countering the swarm of low-cost drones, whether in Ukraine or Israel, remains a significant challenge due to the high costs associated with intercepting them.
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps hinted on April 11 that Ukraine may receive prototype units of the DragonFire laser system to bolster its defence capabilities amid escalating Russian airstrikes across Ukraine. The DragonFire laser system, which costs only a fraction of conventional interceptors, has the capability to effectively neutralise drones and missiles.
Ukraine is facing relentless Russian air assaults, particularly from Shahed kamikaze drones, prompting it to seek additional Patriot interceptor missiles. According to Shapps, although the UK wants to have the DragonFire laser in use by 2027, there are now plans to transfer earlier, potentially crude, prototypes to Ukraine. “Let’s say that it didn’t have to be 100 per cent perfect for Ukrainians, perhaps, to get their hands on it. 2027 is still the date, as of this moment, but of course, I’ll look to see what we can do to speed it up,” he said.
