Russian "Shahda" can be knocked down with laser weapons: what are the "quiet" air defense systems - expert

Laser weapons have already appeared in the armed forces of several countries of the world, but not yet widely used, the hedgehog explained on the Espresso portal. Existing laser, as well as microwaves, air defense settings cost about $ 10-20 million, they should still be finalized for effective work against drones. But even at this stage, the shot of such installation costs as much as a rifle shot - about five dollars, said the analyst.

Drones that can be used by laser air defense are the Shakhda RF and even FPV. Alexei Hizhak explained that a number of problems need to be solved for real use of laser weapons against drones. In particular, the installations should learn how to detect the goal in the air and track its movement-that is, 4D pollution should work. Solving the problem - a system of artificial intelligence, offers a hedgehog.

Another problem is the high cost of installation, which can undermine drone for, conditionally, $ 500. In addition, high power is consumed and there is a need for cooling. The analyst called the laser air defense settings created by the Western countries, recognizing that they are in the development, are still finalized and will be ready after 2025: the Thor (USA) complex - a microwave, covers an area of up to 1 square. km less than a second.

Thor is also capable of destroying a UAV group because it burns electronics over a large area of lesions. The article compared the existing air defense tools that Ukraine uses to knock down drones - the installation of Gepard or Coyote, or ordinary rifles. The hedgehog noted that they are much cheaper than laser guns, but the shot costs hundreds of times more (except for a gun). Hedgehog explained that laser (microwave) weapons for the destruction of drones have five advantages.

"The first combat laser complexes can appear on critical objects for one to two years. The most realistic candidates remain Iron Beam, De M-Shorad, and hybrid platforms like Locust," the expert summed up. It should be noted that Focus wrote about Shahhedov's attack and the winged "Iskander-K" missiles of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which took place on the night of July 31.