NATO Ally's New Jet-Fitted Laser Shield Downs '100%' of Missiles

A newly developed air defense laser has 100 percent of incoming threats during a new trial, the U.K. government has said, as several militaries forge ahead with efforts to get lasers operational and integrated into their forces.

A "laser with pinpoint accuracy" took out "a range of infrared heat-seeking missiles being fired simultaneously" during a live-fire trial in northern Sweden, the British Defense Ministry said in a statement over the weekend.

Lasers are a type of directed energy weapon that uses a concentrated beam to cut through airborne threats, such as drones or missiles. Once set up and ready to go, laser weapons are designed to be a much cheaper way of intercepting incoming threats than expensive air defense missiles. Each interceptor missile often costs millions of dollars, whereas laser-directed energy weapons theoretically have almost unlimited magazines.

A British government image shows a new air defense laser that has undergone testing in Sweden (inset) and a German Luftwaffe plane during an event marking the anniversary of the World War II operation Market... MOD Crown Copyright/Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images

Programs are underway across the world, including the U.S., to develop ground- and ship-based laser systems, as well as systems fixed onto aircraft.

Back in January, the U.K. said it had tested its DragonFire laser, which is accurate enough to strike a £1 coin—roughly the size of a U.S. quarter—from a distance of around a kilometer, or 0.6 miles. It is under consideration by the British army and navy, London said.

The range of the DragonFire is classified, but the U.K. has said it can tackle any visible threat. Firing the DragonFire for 10 seconds costs around the same amount as using a regular heater for an hour, and the laser has a price tag of less than £10, or under $13, per shot, according to the U.K.

"Identifying, tracking and defeating threats from the air in seconds is crucial to having the edge over those who try to do us harm," British Defense Secretary John Healey said over the weekend. "We're equipping our armed forces with the very latest technology to keep them safe and give them the advantage on operations."

The system will be fitted to British military jets, including Shadow R2 surveillance aircraft and A400M transport aircraft, London said.

The laser is a joint project shared by the U.K. Defense Ministry's science and technology agency and the U.K. branches of defense manufacturers Leonardo and Thales. Several "senior military officers from a number of NATO nations" attended the trial, the U.K. government said.

The Israeli government, which is getting its Iron Beam high-energy laser weapon system up and running, said on Monday that it was starting to access $5.2 billion in aid from the U.S. to spend on air defense, including its vaunted Iron Dome and the upcoming Iron Beam. Israel announced the package, which is part of $8.7 billion in total, in late September.