Russia is using a new Chinese laser system to shoot down Ukrainian drones, according to pro-Russian Telegram channels. The system seen in a video posted to Telegram on Thursday appears to be at least extremely similar to a system Beijing has apparently already provided to Iran, which you can read more about here.
The video, posted on the Military Information Telegram channel, opens with scenes of troops inside a vehicle, flicking switches and looking at heavily pixelated screens. The next scene shows the system rising out of the vehicle and then being rotated by a soldier in the vehicle using a joystick. It then cuts to small fiery holes being burned into a metal plate. A subsequent view shows the plate with four holes burned through it, apparently created by the laser.
The next scene shows several screens, with one displaying video of a drone catching fire and spinning out of control, with the implication that the damage was caused by the laser system. A second drone is shown being hit by what appears to be the laser. The video ends with recovered drone segments with burn marks that could be indicative of a laser engagement.
While we can’t say for certain what system this is, or where or when the video was taken, as noted earlier, it is very similar to a system China apparently provided to Iran. From our previous story about that: “… it has a single large aperture on the left side. In addition, there is an aperture with a more squared-off shape on the right side … A similar, if not identical arrangement is visible in Chinese marketing literature for another counter-drone laser weapon called the Shen Nung (also transliterated Shennong). Containerized and 4×4 Dongfeng Mengshi light tactical truck-mounted versions of the Shen Nung – the Shen Nung 5000 and 3000, respectively – have at least been pitched in the past. The pictures reportedly taken in Tehran last week show the system behind a blue tarp screen, but what is visible could point to a containerized variant.”
This is a conclusion also drawn by Fabian Hinz, a research fellow for Defense and Military Analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
“While the sensor arrangement seems to have been altered, the system observed in Russian service strongly resembles the Chinese Shen Nung 3000/5000 anti-drone laser,” Hinz noted on X.
Russian Telegram channels claim the system is already in use by the Nomad special forces unit and is a great improvement over earlier counter-drone laser designs.
“Previously, there was an opinion in the domestic information environment that combat lasers were useless and expensive toys,” wrote the Military Informant Telegram channel, which on Thursday was the first to publish the video.
“However, new threats identified during [the full-on invasion of Ukraine] forced the search for alternative methods of counteraction. Thanks to the development of new technologies, laser systems have become an effective tool for the destruction of Ukrainian UAVs.”
“It remains to be hoped that the topic of developing laser weapons in Russia will receive new impetus, and the experience of using lasers as air defense weapons will be scaled up throughout the country,” the channel added.
While Military Information did not explain what kind of system it was, the editor of a Russian military-themed magazine identified it as “the Chinese Low-Altitude Laser Defending System (LASS).”
It is used, “among others, by the People’s Armed Police of the People’s Republic of China,” wrote Kornev Dmitry, editor of the NOZS magazine and the MilitaryRussia.Ru website. “The developer and manufacturer of LASS is probably the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics.”
Though we don’t know many details about this system, it certainly is not the first laser directed energy weapon to be used in combat against drones.
Earlier this week, Israeli officials disclosed that Jerusalem has used a new air defense laser to shoot down Hezbollah drones in the current conflict in the Middle East.
As we noted in our story: “What is described as an adapted version of the Iron Beam system made its combat debut last October, and the definitive version should be fielded by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later this year, joining an already formidable, layered air defense network, something you can read about in more detail here.”
The use of the Iron Beam — also known by its Hebrew name Magen Or — was announced by the IDF, Israeli Air Force (IAF), and defense contractor Rafael, in a joint statement. These three organizations, it is said, “executed an accelerated development program to deploy revolutionary interception systems,” as part of an effort that also involved Israel’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development.
You can see that system in the video below.
The U.S. has similar lasers deployed in small numbers to forward locations and vessels for early operational use and evaluation. Multiple countries are working on developing similar systems. Although progress is being made on adapting laser weapons to operational military use, it has been far slower than many had predicted, including the Department of Defense. These systems also have key limitations in terms of their range and environmental factors significantly impacting their performance. Thermal limitations can also limit their engagement efficacy against multiple targets. They also use relatively delicate components that have to be hardened to the rigors of forward operations, often in remote locales, with limited external support.
While there is still much we don’t know about the system that emerged on social media, the fact that Iran has likely fielded a Chinese system that closely resembles is a sign that it is on the market. Russia, China and Iran have growing relations as they seek to challenge the United States and its allies on the world stage, which includes both China and Iran providing weapons or supporting technologies to Russia in its fight against Ukraine.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com