Ukraine bullish on laser counters to UAVs
British DragonFire laser system (Photo: UK Defense Ministry)
Ukraine is approaching deployment of laser
weapons that can shoot down drones of various types, including Shahed UAVs,
deputy C-in-C Brig. Gen. Andrii Lebedenko said on July 22.
Speaking at a press briefing in Kyiv, the general said that field-capable systems could arrive within two to three months, adding that several working prototypes are currently in testing. He said both teams inside the Armed Forces and private companies are producing laser weapons.
“It can already shoot down FPV [first-person view] drones and is already being used against Shahed drones,” Lebedenko said.
“In the next two to three months we will have systems that will allow us to defeat aerial attack means even better than machine guns. That’s the plan, and so far it’s working.”
On Feb. 10, The Atlantic reported that Ukrainian
engineers had developed a compact, inexpensive laser weapon called Sunray.
Reporter Simon Shuster wrote that the device “easily fits in a car trunk,”
makes no sound and emits no visible beam; he described the prototype as simple
to operate.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
