A £20 million company-funded investment in high-energy laser technology signals a significant step towards the operational deployment of Laser Directed Energy Weapons, with implications for UK sovereign industrial capability and the wider defence supply chain. QinetiQ has announced a £20 million investment to accelerate the development and manufacture of Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) technology, expanding its product portfolio and production capacity across sites in Farnborough and Malvern. The announcement, made at Farnborough International Airshow, underlines a broader shift in the directed energy sector from long-term research and development towards active production and deployment at scale. Central to the investment…
