Britain on Thursday awarded a £316 million ($413 million) contract to missile company MBDA UK to provide DragonFire laser systems for the Royal Navy, under a plan to add new technology to ships to counter potential drone attacks.
Below are key facts about the contract:
The laser system costs £10 per shot, making it much more cost-effective compared to traditional missile systems which cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The government statement says that DragonFire will be fitted to a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by 2027.
The technology recently shot down high-speed drones in new trials, the government adds.
MBDA UK will work in partnership with Britain's Qinetiq and Italy's Leonardo on DragonFire, and the contract will sustain 590 jobs across the UK, the government says.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Muvija M and Mark Heinrich)
