Although laser weapons are often positioned as cost-effective to operate, they are hardly cheap to develop and procure. As reported by Defence Express, the cost of the British DragonFire combat laser developed by MBDA is around $160 million.
However, it is important to take into account that the price of the first samples is usually significantly higher than subsequent serial modifications. At the same time, experts note that the cost of one shot of the laser is really minuscule – in fact, it is equal to the cost of consumed electricity.
However, this does not mean that the overall costs will be low. One should not forget about maintenance, repair and upkeep costs, which can be quite significant.
“to give an example, if we assume that DragonFire is designed for 20 years of service, then, as a rule of thumb, about 80 per cent of the total costs are exactly for operation, and only **20 per cent for procurement,” the analysts note.
According to this calculation, DragonFire’s annual procurement and maintenance costs could reach approximately $40 million.
By comparison, Rheinmetall’s Skynex system, which uses 35mm automatic cannons, is not a budget alternative either. A full-fledged system with four firing modules, a sensor unit and a command centre costs around 73 million euros.
Thus, although laser weapons have a low cost per “shot,” the overall cost of operating them can be no less tangible than traditional systems.