London wants to arm Ukraine New laser weapon teaches Putin's drone fleet to fear
Now everything could happen very quickly: Ukraine is to receive a new type of laser weapon from the UK. This is not good news for Putin and his drone fleet.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In April, the UK first considered providing Ukraine with a state-of-the-art laser weapon.
- Now there are signs that the deal has been finalized: This would decisively strengthen Ukraine's air defense in the fight against Russian attacks.
- However, the technology still has some problems to overcome.
With laser weapons against Russian threat attacks. Ukraine could soon upgrade its air defense systems with modern laser weapons from the UK. The then British Defense Minister Grant Shapps had already hinted at this in April. His successor John Healey now wants to speed up the process, reports "Army Recognition".
According to the report, Healey met with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in London at the weekend and also discussed the provision of the British laser weapon "DragonFire". "We are actively working on this project," said Umerov after the exchange.
Lasers are not yet a miracle weapon
The ultra-modern "DragonFire" laser weapon is a prototype that can be used to effectively combat drones, for example, but only from a comparatively short distance. The British army is not planning to use it until 2027. However, Ukraine could be equipped with it in advance. The advantage of this is that the system could be tested in real operations.
Laser systems are still a long way from being miracle weapons. The Americans, who are also working on the technology, are also aware of this. A report in the "Wall Street Journal" lists some of the biggest problems.
For example, the problem of overheating has not yet been solved: laser weapons require a large amount of electrical energy, which is fed from batteries to the actual laser head by cable. Without appropriate cooling, the technology will not work - in the worst case it could even be destroyed.
The weather is also crucial for laser weapons: the emitted light particles can be deflected by rain, snow or even sand in the air. The laser beam thus loses energy. Last but not least, the weapons are so new that it has so far been difficult to find spare parts in combat zones. There is also a lack of specialists for maintenance and repairs.
Ukrainian air defense urgently needs reinforcement
In this context, the British Ministry of Defence emphasizes that this weapon is precise enough to hit a one-pound coin from a distance of one kilometer. Furthermore, at a cost of around 10 pounds (11.24 francs) per shot, "DragonFire" is a very economical alternative compared to conventional anti-aircraft weapons, which can cost several million francs per shot.
The Russian attacks of recent weeks clearly show that Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defense. Laser weapons would be a welcome addition to the defense arsenal.
The defense ministers of Ukraine and Great Britain also agree on this. According to Umerov, he had spoken to Healey about Ukraine's operational requirements. Both stressed that "direct contracts and investments in the Ukrainian defense industry are underway". He hoped to be able to share more soon and emphasized that progress was being made.
