Why Laser Weapons are About to Change Everything

Complex integrated attacks require the ability to stop airborne threats at range, defeat swarms, and also deal with close-in pop ups. There’s a need for a layered, tiered mix of high-performing sensors and cost-effective effectors, integrated into a command and control system that can handle a highly saturated air picture — to allow commanders and operators to easily react to complex scenarios. Laser weapons are about to change war forever and I want to show you how. The French government is investing approximately 5 billion dollars into acquiring the technology as part of their modernization efforts. The US military is investing 1 billion dollars a year into directed energy weapons development to slap onto their new XM30 infantry fighting vehicle and 6th generation NGAD fighter. There are 3 reasons the world is in a laser weapons arms race right now. First to combat the immediate problem of the rise of small inexpensive drone warfare. Second, to destroy incoming cruise and hypersonic missiles. And third to blind the enemy’s satellites that control their navigation and command abilities. Written by: Chris Cappy and Patrick Griffin Edited by: Michael Michaelides Nowhere is the first example of drone warfare better characterized than by Ukranian fight against Russia. Early in the war when Kyiv was under attack. A crowd-funded group of 30 Ukranian IT warriors used motorcycles, commercial off-the-shelf drones, and hand grenades to halt Russian infamous “40-mile convoy.” (link to story here). Since then, hundreds of videos on Twitter and Telegram brought the devastation of these small drones to the forefront of conversation among those tracking the conflict over social media. Footage posted on Twitter in July shows a $4 million Russian T-90 tank destroyed by a Ukrainian FPV drone that retails for under $2,000. And one of the most shocking parts of all this is there really was no good countermeasure to cheap drones. But in response the Kremlin announced the deployment of special laser weapons in May 2023 over state run television. The secretive “Zadira” project was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov who boasted that the laser “was capable of destroying drones in five seconds at a distance of five kilometers [or three miles]” by burning them. It’s called the Peresvet which is a ground-based anti-satellite laser. While not much is known about the Zadira laser, there are six known Peresvet lasers in Russia’s inventory. First showcased in 2018, the Peresvet is designed to interrupt or destroy reconnaissance satellites from the ground with an alleged range of 1,500 km (932 miles). It accomplishes this by “dazzling” the sensitive lenses and electronic equipment with a high-powered beam. This is different from the thermal-combustion method that anti-drone and missile lasers use, requiring a less energy-dense beam and thus allowing for a much longer effective range. To put this into context the first laser pointer I ever got was for a birthday gift from my parents when I was in highschool. Those laser pointers have a power of less than 5 milliwatts. Then I was issued a military grade laser in Iraq that we used to warn vehicles to stop before checkpoints that was about 125 milliWatts. These 50 kilowatt anti-drone lasers are about 50 million times more powerful. So if Russia is telling the truth about their capabilities, which is a big if, it would put the range of satellites in low-earth orbit within the kill-zone of the Peresvet. This includes Starlink, a constellation of satellites essential for Ukrainian command and control that operate at an altitude of only 550 km according to their website. Ukrainian and U.S. officials are skeptical of Russia’s announcements that the Zadira and Peresvet deployed to Ukraine. U.S. officials say they have seen “no evidence” that these weapons have been deployed to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed these mysterious weapons as “wonder weapons”. Join this channel to get access to perks: Task & Purpose is a military news and culture oriented channel. We want to foster discussion about the defense industry. #WAR #UKRAINE #LASER Email capelluto@ for inquires.