MOD invests £72.5m in Directed Energy Weapons

Part of the Novel Weapons Programme (NWP), the announcement will see significant investment in the development of directed energy engineers including around 30 new jobs to be created at Thales’ site in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Three DEW capability demonstrators will be developed as part of the investment. The first laser demonstrator (LDEW), led by Thales, will undergo user testing onboard a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate by detecting, tracking, engaging and countering Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Partners will include BAE Systems, Chess Dynamics, Vision4CE and IPG.

The British Army’s Wolfhound armoured vehicle will host another laser demonstrator, developed by a consortium led by Raytheon, that will investigate capability against UAVs and other air threats. Frazier Nash Consultancy and NP Aerospace will work alongside Raytheon on this.

Thales will also lead development of a radio frequency (RF) demonstrator, which will be used by the British Army, hosted on a MAN SV truck to detect and track air, land and sea targets. This will involve collaboration with Qinetiq, Teledyne e2v and Horiba Mira.