DragonFire stays a sovereign programme for now

The UK government has not committed to involving Ukraine in the DragonFire laser directed-energy weapon programme. In a parliamentary response, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the Ministry of Defence is focused on maturing sovereign laser technologies while remaining open to cooperation with key allies and continuing discussions with Ukraine on mutually beneficial defence work. DragonFire was developed by MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and is being accelerated towards installation on a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer in the late 2020s. The statement neither confirms Ukrainian participation in the programme nor announces a transfer of the laser system to Kyiv.