Russia has tested a new laser that can burn drones and other equipment from a distance of five kilometers in just five seconds. According to Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, the drone was “just burned and ceased to exist”.

He also confirmed that the laser was used in the conflict with Ukraine under the name “Zadira” – although the US and Ukraine said they did not see any evidence of this and considered it propaganda.

Little is known about the features of the new weapons, considered secret by the Russian government, but according to Borisov, the new model is more powerful than the Peresvet laser announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.

“If Peresvet blinds, then the next generation of laser weapons leads to the physical destruction of the target – thermal destruction, it burns,” he told Russian state television.

Lasers are considered efficient and low-cost weapons compared to others used in combat. They work by sending out a beam of infrared light that heats their target until it burns.

Unlike conventional weapons that require ammunition, the “cartridges” of the combat laser never run out, and its beams hit the target with incredible accuracy at the speed of light.

Military expert Igor Korotchenko, director of the World Arms Trade Analysis Center, said that Peresvet, which has been currently used by Russian troops since 2019, can shoot reconnaissance satellites in orbits up to 1,500 km and can be successfully used against unmanned aerial vehicles.

This is especially important for obscuring recognition systems. Disabling satellites capable of tracking nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles is a strategic measure.

Russia may also use battlefield lasers to blind Ukrainian soldiers, but this is prohibited under a 1995 protocol annexed to the UN treaty banning weapons that cause excessive injury or have indiscriminate effect, retired Australian Army Brigadier General Mick Ryan told the Washington Post. told.

However, the effectiveness of the laser depends on the environmental conditions: it works perfectly in good weather, but fog, rain, snow and other adverse weather events can block the passage of the laser beam.

new generation weapons

Borisov took advantage of the launch of new models to argue that laser and electromagnetic weapons will replace conventional weapons in the coming years.

He said that Russia is investing in creating weapons based on new physical principles.

In 2017, Russian media claimed that the state nuclear agency Rosatom was spearheading this division and working on the Zadira laser.

Last month, Israel released a video showing a similar laser system that shoots down rockets and drones. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it can shoot down drones, mortars and rockets for up to $3.50 per shot.

“It may sound like science fiction, but it’s real,” he said.

Putin has already announced a number of news on this subject: a new intercontinental ballistic missile, submarine nuclear drones and a supersonic weapon.

Ukraine announced new drones purchased in March. Drones produced in Turkey by Baykar Teknoloji have the ability to destroy battle tanks.

The Bayraktar TB2 model uses air-to-ground laser bombs and missiles designed to be launched more precisely against surface targets by a military aircraft. After the positive experience with Bayraktar TB1, it was developed at the request of the Turkish army and made its first flight in 2014. (with international agencies and BBC Brazil)