Britain to integrate DragonFire laser weapons on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers from 2027 in major naval air defence upgrade

Britain plans to begin integrating DragonFire laser weapons on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers in 2027 under a wider £490 million directed-energy programme. The government did not specify the number of ships, a separate integration cost or a detailed installation schedule, and the allocation covers directed-energy development beyond DragonFire alone. The laser will join broader Type 45 modernisation, including missile upgrades and an improved Sea Viper system scheduled to provide an initial ballistic-missile-defence capability by 2028. A further £600 million is assigned to the Type 45 programme over four years, without a project-by-project funding breakdown.