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Russia has aired footage of an unnamed laser-based air defense system for the first time, with officials revealing that it is already being used to protect strategic facilities from Ukrainian drones and that several such installations have been on combat duty for about three months.
State television channel Rossiya aired the footage August 30, though it did not disclose the name of the complex, its developer, its power output or precise technical specifications.
According to Russian military correspondents, several installations have been deployed to cover strategic facilities in the southwest of Russia, including one enterprise that has regularly come under threat from Ukrainian drone attacks.
Russian officials claimed that since the systems were deployed, no Ukrainian drone has been able to strike the facility, and that several hundred drones have already been destroyed by the lasers. The officials also said the system’s radars are capable of detecting both small first-person-view drones and larger, fixed-wing drones, including models comparable to Ukraine’s long-range “Fire Point” and “Liutyi” drones.
A directed laser beam is used to take down the drones, and Russian military officials claim the system can engage aerial targets at altitudes where machine guns and other counter-drone measures become ineffective.
The effectiveness of laser weapons in general depends not only on the power of the installation but also on the distance to the target, the length of time the beam can be held on the target, and atmospheric conditions.
Russia has been integrating laser-based systems into its air defense network for a while now. In May, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said systems with power ranging from 4 to 90 kilowatts are used to protect critical infrastructure. He added that more powerful, specialized lasers also exist, though their characteristics have not been disclosed.
Laser-based air defense systems offer high accuracy, speed, low cost per engagement, and reduced reliance on ammunition. Because of these features, they are considered very suitable for countering drones.
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problem is swarms of drones.
the laser can take down one after the other, or use multiple lasers
the russian survival rate increases again ? one day ukraine will wake and figure out who the real enemy is. the feudal nato warlords who sacrificed a nation to sell arms and magic debt currencies. ukraine and napoleon bonaparte will have chapters in the history books.