Are Laser Weapon Systems the Solution to Drone Dominated Conflicts?
Currently, there is no effective international legal consensus which defines the use of drones as weapons, despite a steep rise in their use by states, both in the proportion of modern air forces and volume of military operations. This trend is especially concerning due to their employment by non-state actors in hybrid warfare, as it has been reported it happened in the Red Sea. Until an effective legal consensus is agreed upon by states, developing a physical solution to drone attacks seems to be the United Kingdom’s objective. The UK’s new laser-based weapons system, DragonFire, provides a window into how states are preparing for a future of drone-dominated conflicts.