(Photo : Royal Navy)
Photo shows what Britain's futuristic DragonFire laser weapon could look like firing at enemy missiles, drones and other aircraft from the deck of a warship.

As the world is roiled by war in Ukraine and Gaza, Britain's Royal Navy announced Friday the development of a powerful new laser weapon right out of "Star Wars" that will shoot down missiles, drones and other enemy aircraft from ships.

The futuristic DragonFire laser will be installed on British warships by 2027, said a statement from the Navy. The date originally planned had been 2032.

The announcment comes as the need for such weapons grows "to counter drone and missile threats— like those by the Houthi rebels," who have been firing on commercial ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel's war on Gaza.

A burst of a high-intensity beam from DragonFire costs no more than 10 pounds, the equivalent of $12.50, "yet can engage targets — drones, missiles, aircraft — at the speed of light by concentrating it on a target," the Navy noted.

Captain Matt Ryder, who's in charge of new weapons as head of Above Water Battlespace in the Royal Navy's Develop Directorate, called the laser system "cutting edge" and highly "relevant," adding that there's a need to "accelerate it into service on board our ships at the earliest opportunity."