Britain tests Raytheon's anti-drone laser from military vehicle

FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) - The British Army has carried out its first test of Raytheon's anti-drone laser weapon from a military vehicle, the company said on Monday, in the latest sign that drone warfare is a growing priority for Western armed forces.

The high-energy laser, which is designed to wipe out aerial drones, was fired aboard a British Army Wolfhound armoured vehicle in Porton Down, a military facility in southern England, Raytheon's parent company, RTX Corp. said in a statement. The company did not say when the test took place.

The war in Ukraine has been characterised by the deployment of drones on an unprecedented scale, with thousands of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) used to track enemy forces, guide artillery and bomb targets.

This transformation in battlefield tactics has increased global demand for both drone and anti-drone equipment, defence companies say.

"The increasing prevalence, proliferation and evolution of drone warfare makes the rapid adoption of counter-UAS technologies ever more important," RTX said.

The United States army has already deployed Raytheon's high-energy laser, which has logged more than 40,000 testing hours and downed more than 400 targets, the company said.

(Reporting by Joe Brock and Joanna Plucinska, Editing by William Maclean)