Britain to unleash Star Wars’ style LASER cannon dubbed Dragonfire

A LASER cannon that can shoot enemy jets straight out the sky is being developed for Britain's armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence today announced the £30m contract to build the new Laser Directed Energy weapon.

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Several European defence firms will work together to create a prototype that can pick up and track targets across land and sea.

It will be rolled out across the armed forces by 2019 to “keep this country ahead of the curve”, Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriet Baldwin said.

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The news comes tensions between Russia and the West hot up.

Moscow's defence chief announced the development of terrifying missile that could tip balance in future conflict in December.

And rumours swirl of Vladminir Putin's high tech army and after Barack Obama sent special forces to the border of Russia on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Defence denied the laser was a counter to a specific national threat.

But weapons of this type can be used to destroy drones, missiles, mortars and roadside bombs.

Mrs Baldwin added: “The UK has long enjoyed a reputation as a world leader in innovation and it is truly ground-breaking projects like the Laser Directed Energy Weapon which will keep this country ahead of the curve.

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“The Defence Innovation Initiative and £800 million Defence Innovation Fund aim to encourage imagination, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, in pursuit of maintaining a military advantage in the future"

"With a rising Defence budget, and a £178 billion equipment plan, our commitment to innovation will deliver a safer and more prosperous Britain.”

Peter Cooper, from the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL,  said the project "draws on innovative research into high power lasers so as to understand the potential of the technology".

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