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Dragonfly Drones And Laser Weapons Primed For Battle
Dragonfly drones and laser weapons are part of the futuristic technology being developed in a new government programme to boost the military.
Around £800 million is to be invested for the Innovation and Research Insights Unit (IRIS), a think tank that will advise the Ministry of Defence on technology.
A dragonfly drone
The initiative will support cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality, sensors that use gravity to survey underground structures in minutes and mobile robots that can inspect incidents involving chemical materials.
It’s hoped the scheme, which launches today, will transform the way the Armed Forces deal with defence and security challenges and increases the speed at which the tech is adapted for use on the battlefield.
A simulation shows the dragonfly spying inside a building.
A Dragons’ Den-style panel will oversee the fund, with individuals and companies encouraged to pitch ideas to access the fund over the next 10 years.
IRIS is intended to anticipate emerging technological advances and analyse their implications with a defence and security accelerator trying to ensure solutions to the national security challenges are developed quickly.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
"This new approach will help to keep Britain safe while supporting our economy, with our brightest brains keeping us ahead of our adversaries.”
"Backed by a defence budget that will rise every year until the end of the decade, it will ensure that the UK maintains its military advantage in an increasingly dangerous world."
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