Qinetiq secures £67M Dragonfire contract

Land January 8, 2026

QinetiQ has been awarded a £67 million contract to facilitate the delivery of the United Kingdom’s first laser directed energy weapons (LDEW) to the Royal Navy, with installation scheduled to begin in 2027.

This award is a significant component of a broader £316 million production contract recently granted by the Ministry of Defence to the DragonFire industry partnership prime, MBDA. The transition to a production phase follows the successful conclusion of high-intensity trials conducted at the QinetiQ-operated MOD Hebrides range in November 2025, which validated the system’s ability to engage aerial targets with extreme precision.

Under the terms of this agreement, QinetiQ will maintain its specialised role in the development and manufacturing of the high-power laser source, which serves as the core technological driver of the DragonFire system. Beyond hardware production, the contract leverages QinetiQ’s extensive expertise in testing and evaluation to ensure the safe integration and operational readiness of these novel weapons. The deployment of LDEW technology onto Royal Navy platforms is intended to serve as a high-precision extension of existing air defence capabilities, providing a low-cost-per-shot alternative to traditional interceptor missiles when defending against drones and other airborne threats.

For businesses within the UK defence supply chain, the DragonFire programme represents a significant opportunity for sustained involvement in sovereign high-technology manufacturing. The contract currently supports approximately 120 jobs at QinetiQ, concentrated primarily in the west and south of England. More broadly, the project engages a network of more than 100 UK-based suppliers. Notably, approximately 50 of these contributors are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), highlighting the critical role that niche technology providers play in the development of disruptive military capabilities. This collaborative industrial framework is designed to accelerate the adoption of directed energy systems, ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of global maritime innovation.

The acceleration of the DragonFire programme aligns with the government’s wider objective to treat defence as a primary engine for national economic growth while addressing heightening global instabilities. As the 2027 integration deadline approaches, the focus for industry will remain on the scalable production of these systems and the continued refinement of the laser source technology. This milestone not only secures a critical path for the Royal Navy’s future air defence strategy but also provides a stable procurement horizon for the sub-contractors and specialists involved in the UK’s emerging directed energy sector.

Image courtesy QinetiQ

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