Are Russians really shooting down Ukrainian drones with lasers – the response of the Air Force
9 June 14:06
Colonel Yuriy Ignat, head of the Communications Department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, denied reports that Russians have started shooting down Ukrainian drones with combat lasers. He said during a telethon that he had no such information, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“I have no such information that Russia is using laser weapons. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything here,”
– ignat said.
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“The Silent Hunter”
At the end of May this year, pro-Russian military bloggers published a video that allegedly demonstrates the work of a Russian mobile anti-aircraft unit from a special detachment called “Nomad”. The footage shows soldiers using a laser anti-aircraft system to test on a metal plate in order to practice methods of destroying Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. It is unclear from the post whether the Russians are only testing the weapon or have already used it in a battle with Ukrainian equipment.
One of the Russian military bloggers stated that the fighters of the Kochevnik special unit were able to solve technical problems with the power supply of the air defense laser system. At the same time, he expressed doubts about the effectiveness of this system in adverse weather conditions, in particular in the presence of smoke or fog.
The Ukrainian specialized defense outlet Militarny analyzed the video in early June and concluded that Russian armed forces were likely using a Chinese-origin laser air defense system called the Silent Hunter (also known as the Low Altitude Laser Defense System).
According to Militarny, the video evidence shows that the Russian side has been operating the Tikhiy Myslyvets system since at least last fall and has demonstrated successful results in intercepting drones at distances exceeding 1300 meters.
According to the technical specifications, the Silent Hunter is a 30-kilowatt fiber-optic laser mounted on the chassis of an off-road vehicle. The system is equipped with a radar station and an optoelectronic complex for detecting, tracking and targeting. The maximum range of target detection is five kilometers, and the optical systems are capable of tracking objects within a radius of three kilometers.
Ukrainian laser “in the fog”
Yuriy Ihnat commented on the possibility of introducing laser technology into the Ukrainian defense forces, but did not say anything specific. According to him, there is no universal weapon, so the development of weapons should take place in different directions.
The colonel cited the example of American experts who, after studying the Ukrainian experience of using unmanned systems, began discussing a possible transition from manned aircraft to drones. However, Ihnat warned against such radical conclusions.
“In fact, each weapon performs its own task and has its own purpose, and therefore both manned aircraft and unmanned systems, including laser weapons, will take place in future wars,”
– he explained.
Among the disadvantages of laser weapons, the Air Force representative also highlighted their ineffectiveness in low visibility and fog conditions when fighting air targets.
At the same time, Ihnat noted that several countries already have laser weapons in service, and information about such systems is publicly available. According to him, laser technology may be the future of military affairs.
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