Date no longer given for DragonFire on Royal Navy destroyers

The United Kingdom has stopped restating a firm date for fitting the DragonFire laser weapon to Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers in its latest parliamentary answer. Asked for a schedule, the government referred lawmakers to a July response describing exploratory work on employment across different operating environments rather than repeating earlier commitments to a 2027 ship installation. DragonFire, developed by MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, successfully engaged aerial targets during a 2024 trial. The Defence Investment Plan includes £490 million for directed-energy weapons, but the latest reply leaves the first ship and installation timetable unspecified.