11:21 13-08-2025

First Combat Laser Strike on Ukrainian Drone Caught on Video

Tommology, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Video shows Russian forces using a combat laser to destroy a Ukrainian FP-1 drone at 2.5 km, highlighting the weapon’s potential in countering UAV threats.

The first video footage showing a combat laser in action against a Ukrainian UAV has surfaced online. According to reports, Russian forces used the new weapon to intercept an enemy drone attempting to penetrate deeper into Russian territory.

A Russian mobile air-defense unit targeted and destroyed a long-range FP-1 drone. The video shows that the laser took roughly ten seconds to eliminate the target. At a distance of about 2.5 kilometers, the beam burned through the drone’s fuel tank, triggering an explosion.

Military experts noted that laser weaponry holds significant potential in countering unmanned aerial vehicles. The head of the company behind the Posokh project previously stated that a modernized, more powerful laser system had successfully passed bench tests. During laboratory trials, the upgraded installation — equipped with a new lens — was able to burn through steel plates and components from foreign-made drones.