Moscow: Russia has developed its own anti-drone laser capability and is already using it in Ukraine, Vice Prime Minister of Russia, Yury Borisov, claimed in an interview Wednesday.
It has a range of 5 km and is nicknamed ‘Zadira’ (troublemaker), Borisov said. He didn’t disclose any other details about the new device, RT reported.
The revelation came as Borisov was discussing the advanced weapons being developed in Ukraine. He compared the new weapon to Peresvet, a laser system first unveiled by President Vladimir Putin in 2018, the exact purpose of which was not explained at the time.
The official confirmed that the Peresvet was designed to disable optic sensors, including on spy satellites orbiting the earth as high as 1,500 km, RT reported.
“While Peresvet blinds, the new generation of laser weapons causes physical damage to the target, burning it through,” he said.
When asked about the timeline for the Russian military to receive such systems, Borisov said they were already being supplied.
When asked further whether the anti-drone laser was deployed in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, the minister acknowledged that the “first samples were used” there, the report said.
According to military experts, lasers have several drawbacks as weapons, including massive power requirement and the deterioration of the beam that dust and water vapour in the air cause, among others.
