THE Ministry of Defence has awarded a £30m contract to produce the UK's first prototype laser weapon.

UK Dragonfire consortium, which includes Boscombe and Porton based companies QinetiQ and Dstl, were the recipients of the contract.

The project will assess whether the system can pick up and track targets at various distances, and in differing weather conditions, both over land and water.

If successful, the first laser weapons could come into service within ten years.

The contract follows the recent announcement of an £800m Defence Innovation Fund which, according to defence procurement minister Harriet Baldwin, will encourage "imagination and ingenuity", in pursuit of maintaining a military advantage in the future.

Ms Baldwin said: "The UK has long enjoyed a reputation as a world leader in innovation and it is truly ground breaking projects like the Laser Directed Energy Weapon that will keep this country ahead of the curve.

"With a rising Defence budget, and a £178b equipment plan, our commitment to innovation will deliver a safer and more prosperous Britain."

The MOD's investment in the scheme, and the Government's equipment plan, is in marked contrast to previous cuts to the Defence budget, which led to strong criticism and a fear that the armed forces would be ill equipped and prepared should a conflict arise.

But Dstl's Peter Cooper said the significant demonstration programme would mature the understanding of an "immature technology".

He said: "It draws on innovative research into high power lasers, so as to understand the potential of the technology, and provide a more effective response to the emerging threats that could be faced by UK armed forces."

A demonstration of the system will take place during 2019.