Russia develops anti-drone laser tool that can burn through targets

A top official stated that Hi tech tools can burn through targets up to 5 km away.

Russia has developed its own anti-drone laser capability and is already using it in Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov claimed in an interview on Wednesday. He said that it has a range of 5 km and was nicknamed Zadira, or troublemaker in Russian. He didn't reveal any other details about the new device.

Borisov was talking about the advanced weapons being developed in Russia. He compared the new tool 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 said the Peresvet was designed to disable optic sensors, including on spy satellites orbiting the earth as high as 1,500 km.

The new generation of laser weapons causes physical damage to the target, burning it through, he said.

Borisov said that they were already being supplied when asked about the timeline for the Russian military to receive such systems. The minister acknowledged that the first samples were used there when asked if the anti-drone laser was deployed in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

Military experts say that lasers have a lot of drawbacks as weapons, including massive power requirements and the deterioration of the beam caused by dust and water vapor in the air.

They have an advantage in cost-per-shot in terms of cost-per-shot compared to traditional anti-aircraft missiles. Military planners worldwide have to look for ways to counter this threat without depleting their war chests because of the advancement in drone technology, which has made the deployment of air assets more financially accessible.

In the US, naval lasers were successfully tested against boats and drones this year, with the defeat of an aerial practice target by the Layered Laser Defense LLD in April, touted as historic by the authorities.