The UK Ministry of Defense has announced the successful test of the UK’s first powerful long-range laser-guided energy weapon (LDEW), dubbed DragonFire.

The final demonstration tests are the second in a series designed to demonstrate that the technological hurdles needed to build high-energy laser weapons in the UK have been overcome.

Initial tests in July demonstrated that the DragonFire system can track and intercept targets in the air and at sea. A second test fired the laser at targets at different distances to demonstrate that the weapon could safely aim and direct the powerful beam at a target.

DragonFire is being developed by the DragonFire Consortium on a £100m budget. The British government is interested in developing lasers and similar directed energy weapons because these systems can fire at targets like drones and missiles at the speed of light with nearly unlimited ammunition at a cost of around one dollar per shot, excluding equipment costs.

The next step in the program will be to combine the two trials for further testing against more realistic targets and find ways to translate the demonstrator’s findings into practical weapons applications.