{"id":68486,"date":"2024-12-11T15:11:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T15:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:14:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:14:57","slug":"british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PARIS \u2014 British Army troops fired a high-energy laser from an armored vehicle for the first time, using beams of infrared light to destroy dozens of flying drones, in what may be a cost-effective way to address the threat of unmanned aerial systems, the Ministry of Defence said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soldiers from the U.K.\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mod.uk\/learn-and-explore\/about-the-army\/corps-regiments-and-units\/royal-artillery\/16th-regiment-royal-artillery\/\"><u>16th Regiment Royal Artillery<\/u><\/a>, which specializes in providing air defense for ground troops, used the laser mounted on a Wolfhound armored personnel carrier to destroy drones at a variety of distances and speeds, the MoD said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/british-army-successfully-tests-new-drone-destroying-laser\"><u>statement<\/u><\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ubiquity of drones over the battlefield in Ukraine, where infantry typically operates under a constant buzz of multiple UAVs overhead, has Western armies racing to find countermeasures. The U.S. Army in September tested laser-equipped Stryker combat vehicles to destroy drones, while France deployed a vehicle-mounted prototype <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gouv.fr\/eurosatory\/poles-thematiques\/reconnaissance-reactivite\/lutte-anti-drones\/laser-helma-p#title-61933\"><u>anti-drone laser<\/u><\/a> during the Paris Olympic Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is still an emerging technology, but the world has changed and we are seeing more use of drones in the battlespace,\u201d said Stephen Waller, directed-energy weapons team leader at the MoD\u2019s Defence Equipment &amp; Support organization, or DE&amp;S. \u201cThis requires a more cost-effective solution to protect our troops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukrainian troops are using thousands of drones every week, including first-person view drones that can cost as little as a few hundred dollars apiece but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/blogs\/ukrainealert\/fpv-drones-in-ukraine-are-changing-modern-warfare\/\"><u>can be lethal<\/u><\/a><u> <\/u>when packed with explosives, while small commercial quadcopters costing a few thousand dollars are used for scouting and adjusting artillery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cvirtually limitless\u201d ammo supply of laser weapons could make them more cost-efficient than some alternatives, the MoD said. This year\u2019s Eurosatory defense show in Paris featured counter-UAS measures ranging from cannons with airburst munitions to net-firing drones, rockets packed with metal balls, jammers and spoofers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target, according to the MoD, which has said the setup is fully portable and easy to operate. As part of its Land Laser Directed Energy Weapon Demonstrator program the ministry in July <a href=\"https:\/\/des.mod.uk\/high-powered-laser-weapon-trialled-for-the-first-time-on-a-british-army-vehicle\/\"><u>tested the laser<\/u><\/a> on enemy drones at distances of more than 1 kilometer at its testing range in Porton Down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHaving the capability to track and eliminate moving drones will give U.K. troops a better operational advantage and these successful trials have demonstrated that we are well on our way to achieving this,\u201d Waller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MoD will now assess the steps needed to develop laser weapons for future frontline use by the British Army, the ministry statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 16th Regiment Royal Artillery tested the laser, developed in cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and an industry consortium led by Raytheon UK, at Radnor Range in central Wales. The weapon is being developed under a \u00a316.8 million (US$21.4 million) contract from the British government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the live test, the soldiers destroyed dozens of quadcopter drones within the constraints of the Radnor range, the MoD told Defense News, without providing details. Radnor, situated in a steep valley, features a 5-kilometer-long <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radnor.org.uk\/facilities-2\/facilities\/\"><u>testing range<\/u><\/a> for 40mm cannons and aerial countermeasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every engagement using the laser weapon removed a drone from the sky, and what was notable was \u201chow quick a drone can be taken out,\u201d Warrant Officer Matthew Anderson, trials manager for the Army\u2019s mounted close combat trials and development group, said in the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.K. is working on other laser weapons, and earlier this year fired the DragonFire laser weapon against aerial targets for the first time. That weapon is being developed within a \u00a3100 million program with industry partners MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ, and the ministry said the technologies employed between the two weapon systems differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Firing the DragonFire laser typically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2024\/04\/12\/british-navy-ships-to-carry-drone-zapping-lasers-by-2027\/\">costs less than \u00a310 a shot<\/a>, with both the Army and the Royal Navy considering the technology for future air defense, according to the MoD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":46,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"9":{"categories":["directed-energy","digital-show-dailies","aoc","home","battlefield-tech"],"primary_category":"directed-energy"}}},"categories":[160,46,11,14,36],"tags":[8611],"coauthors":[3427],"class_list":["post-68486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-land","category-newsletters","tag-europe"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"75G6OKUQL5FI7JWQKZ3LTTYZDY","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-11T15:11:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-20T16:14:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rudy Ruitenberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rudy Ruitenberg\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-12-11T15:11:08+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T16:14:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 652,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"keywords\": [\n\t                \"europe\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Europe\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Land\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-12-11T15:11:08+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-20T16:14:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/11\\\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Global\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"global\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Europe\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/europe\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"europe\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones - Defense News","description":"The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones","og_description":"The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2024-12-11T15:11:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-20T16:14:57+00:00","author":"Rudy Ruitenberg","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rudy Ruitenberg","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones","datePublished":"2024-12-11T15:11:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T16:14:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/"},"wordCount":652,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg","keywords":["europe"],"articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Europe","Global","Land","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/","name":"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-11T15:11:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-20T16:14:57+00:00","description":"The British Army\u2019s experimental laser weapon uses advanced sensors and tracking systems to maintain lock on target.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2024\/12\/11\/british-troops-test-laser-weapon-as-cheap-option-to-fry-drones\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Global","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/","ad_zone":"global"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Europe","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/","ad_zone":"europe"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"British troops test laser weapon as cheap option to fry drones"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20241029_DES01178-min.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68486"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68490,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68486\/revisions\/68490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68486"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=68486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}