Russia has announced that it has started using a new generation of laser weapons in Ukraine to burn drones, and Moscow says it has developed this mobile system to the point where it can disable satellites orbiting around the world.
Yury Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for military development, said at a conference in Moscow today, Wednesday, that Russia is already deploying the laser weapon on a large scale, and added that it can disable satellites up to 1,500 kilometers above the surface of the earth.
Borisov talked about a weapon test, which he said was conducted yesterday, Tuesday, and resulted in the burning of a drone 5 kilometers away within 5 seconds.
When asked if this weapon was used in the war in Ukraine, Borisov said, "Yes, the first models are already used there," adding that the weapon is called "Zadera."
And Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed - 4 years ago - little information about laser weapons, which started with the "Peresvit" system, which was named after the medieval Orthodox warrior monk "Alexander Peresvet" who died in a fierce battle.
Moscow keeps the details of the laser weapons under a cover of secrecy.
However, in May last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in an interview that the Russian military had tested "Perisvet" in Syria among other weapons, and that it continues to use it there.
Zadera system
Little information was published about the new generation "Zadera", but the Russian media said in 2017, that the Russian nuclear authority (Rosatom) helped produce it as part of a program to build weapons based on new physical principles.
"It is already being supplied to the (missile) forces in large numbers, and it can disable all reconnaissance satellite systems of a potential enemy in orbits of up to 1,500 km, leading to their in-flight failure due to the use of laser beams," Borisov said.
He added that the new generation of laser weapons is more powerful, and can cause thermal destruction of various devices.
Borisov's comments indicate that Russia has made significant progress in terms of Peresvet and other undeclared weapons capabilities, something other nuclear powers such as the United States and China are carefully monitoring.
Borisov said he had just returned from Sarov, a town in the Nizhny Novgorod region that is a center for Russian nuclear weapons research, formerly known as "Arzamas-16".
He said that "weapons systems based on new physical principles" are coming in the near future.
"This is basically a laser weapon, a broad-spectrum electromagnetic weapon that will replace conventional weapons in the next decade," he added. "This is not a strange idea, it is the reality."
In 2018, the Russian president unveiled a set of new weapons, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a small nuclear warhead that can be installed in cruise missiles, underwater nuclear drones, a hypersonic weapon and a laser weapon.