La Armada del RUGB, realiz\u00f3 por 1ra vez ensayos exitosos con su Sistema de Armas L\u00e1ser de Energ\u00eda Dirigida (LDEW). Como parte del programa\u00a0DragonFire, la British Navy junto con las empresas MBDA, Leonardo y QinetiQ, ensayaron esta arma l\u00e1ser de gran potencia, capaz de neutralizar amenazas a\u00e9reas como drones o misiles de crucero, a varios km de distancia. Con un costo estimado de US$ 13 \u201cpor cada blanco neutralizado “, el objetivo es disponer de LDEW instalados en los buques de guerra de esa flota. De esa manera, se mejorar\u00e1 sensiblemente la relaci\u00f3n Costo \/ Efecto, evitando as\u00ed el empleo de misiles que cuestan millones, para destruir UAS u otras amenazas m\u00e1s rudimentarias y econ\u00f3micas. El conflicto actual en el Mar Rojo, con los ataques de las milicias Houtis sobre buques militares de EUA y RUGB, han reforzado la necesidad de disponer de estas armas en estado operativo en el menor tiempo posible. De todas maneras, se estima que ello ser\u00e1 posible reci\u00e9n hacia fines de la presente d\u00e9cada.<\/p>\n
BELFAST \u2014 A high energy laser, estimated to cost less than \u00a310 ($13) a shot, has hit airborne targets at a test range in northwest Scotland, the first time the UK said it has achieved such a firing.<\/p>\n
Developed by Britain\u2019s defense innovation unit, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and with industry partners Leonardo, MBDA and QinetiQ, the\u00a0DragonFire<\/a>\u00a0laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) trial held at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Hebrides test range, saw the system successfully execute a \u201chigh-power firing\u201d that engaged \u201caerial targets,\u201d according to a DSTL statement\u00a0published today<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite the innovation lab not disclosing which targets were specifically hit during the trials, London\u2019s Times newspaper reported that DragonFire engaged \u201cdrones from\u00a0several positions miles away<\/a>.\u201d It also claimed Dstl scientists have forecast the weapon could be operational off a Royal Navy ship within five years.<\/p>\n The Dstl statement does confirm an ambition for DragonFire to advance to an operational environment, though no timeline is mentioned.<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding on this research, the\u00a0MOD\u00a0recently announced its intention to fund a multi-million-pound programme to transition the technology from the research environment to the battlefield,\u201d added the innovation lab.<\/p>\n A MoD spokesperson told Breaking Defense that no ship has been selected to host the weapon \u201cat this point of the trials,\u201d but \u201cit\u2019s possible the laser would be in service before the end of the decade.\u201d<\/p>\n Dstl said that the laser has an operating cost \u201ctypically less than \u00a310 ($13) per shot\u201d and is designed as a line-of-sight system, with a classified range. As the weapon purportedly also offers \u201cpinpoint accuracy\u201d it could be used in the future to provide the UK with more precise targeting than other weapons, while cutting down on expensive ammunition.<\/p>\n \u201cDragonFire exploits UK technology to be able to deliver a high power laser over long ranges,\u201d added Dstl. \u201cThe precision required is equivalent to hitting a \u00a31 coin from a kilometre away.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest trial, builds on previous testing which included a \u201cfirst static high-power laser firing\u201d by the UK. The \u00a3100 million DragonFire program, first launched in 2017, is jointly funded by the MoD and industry. MBDA provide the laser weapon\u2019s command and control and target tracking systems, Leonardo makes the advanced beam director and optics with QinetiQ contributing the precision laser source.<\/p>\n The High cost of naval-based missiles have been on display in the\u00a0Red Sea<\/a>\u00a0recently like when the UK\u2019s HMS Diamond Type 45 destroyer, the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group,\u00a0US destroyers<\/a>\u00a0and F\/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets repelled a barrage of 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and a single anti-ship ballistic missile, per The Times.<\/p>\n The British destroyer used Sea Viper missiles, estimated to cost more than \u00a31 million ($1.3 million) per unit to hit several of the incoming targets. The relatively cheap costs of drones makes for a huge disparity between conventional weapons destroying swarms, and militaries the world over have been eyeing laser weapons as a way to take on such a role at a fraction of the cost.<\/p>\n LDEW technology projects typically have long research and development phases largely because, from an engineering perspective, sustaining power and beam stability required to stay on a target and destroy it at range, is considered highly difficult. A moving target poses an even greater challenge.<\/p>\n US Navy Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, Director of the Surface Warfare Division or \u2018N96\u2019 and responsible for managing the service\u2019s laser technology weapon efforts,\u00a0said earlier this month<\/a>\u00a0that the US Navy and industry should be more \u201cintellectually honest\u201d with one another about capabilities of laser systems, whilst criticising a \u201ctendency to over promise and under deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n He stressed continued invest by the Navy in directed energy capabilities, acknowledging the technical issues at hand, saying, \u201cIt requires space, weight, power and cooling, which can be a challenge on our current surface combatants.\u201d<\/p>\n The US looks to be a step ahead of the UK on the road to achieving entry to service with a naval-based high-energy laser as the Navy and Lockheed Martin have partnered to install the manufacturer\u2019s High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) on the guided missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88).<\/p>\n