Russia has begun using a new-generation laser system against Ukrainian drones. The weapon is already protecting strategically important facilities and can engage airborne targets at ranges beyond those available to earlier laser platforms and several conventional air-defense systems.
The combat use of the system was shown for the first time by Vesti war correspondent Alexander Rogatkin. The footage shows the protective module opening before a violet beam is directed into the night sky. After being exposed to the laser, the targeted drone catches fire and falls.
The system is designed to counter different classes of unmanned aircraft, from larger FP-1 and Lyutiy drones to small quadcopters. Its effective range exceeds that of anti-aircraft artillery, machine guns, man-portable air-defense systems and previous-generation laser weapons.
A crew commander with the call sign Strela said the new weapon relies on the same basic operating principle as earlier systems but can concentrate its beam at a greater distance. During one engagement, four aerial targets entered the kill zone at the same time, and the crew destroyed all four.
The laser can also be used without completely destroying a drone. An operator with the call sign Aktivist said crews have learned to damage the wings of incoming UAVs, altering their flight path and diverting them away from a city.
The servicemen have nicknamed the weapon the «Jedi sword.» Its official designation has not yet been disclosed by the developers.
The system was recently deployed around the perimeter of one of Russia’s strategic enterprises. Since the laser became operational there, no Ukrainian drone has managed to strike the facility.