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Zadira / Troublemaker

The Russian military is using a new generation of combat laser systems in Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said on Channel One 18 May 2022. The Deputy Prime Minister specified that the complex was named "Zadira". The Deputy Prime Minister spoke at the marathon "New Horizons" of the society "Knowledge". This, according to experts, is the first mention of Zadir , previously the Russian authorities were silent about him.

“They [laser weapon complexes] are already starting to enter [the army] . The first samples are already being used [during a special military operation] , ” Borisov said. According to him, it is capable of destroying drones in five seconds at a distance of five kilometers and is more powerful than Peresvet. If the Peresvet complexes blind enemy systems, then the new weapon uses the principle of thermal damage - it burns them, Borisov explained, adding that such lasers are needed in order not to use up expensive missiles such as Pantsir and Torah.

“We have developed and are practically mass-producing laser systems, which have an order of magnitude greater power, which already allow thermal destruction of various means,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. According to him, during the tests, the unmanned vehicle "was simply burned and ceased to exist."

According to him, in the coming decades, the Russian army will receive new models of weapons "based on new physical principles", including laser weapons. Borisov noted that domestic physicists “have developed and practically mass-produce” lasers, with the help of which an unmanned vehicle “was simply burned and ceased to exist” in five seconds. “If Peresvet blinds, then the new generation of laser weapons already leads to thermal damage, burns through it so that we don’t waste expensive missiles, such as Pantsir and Torah ,” Borisov said.

A Senior US Defense Official told a background briefing on 18 May 2022 " I have not seen anything to corroborate reports of lasers being used. Yes, we've seen some open press reporting on that, but we haven't seen anything to corroborate that."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy derided the claim in a video address, saying it "clearly indicates the complete failure of the invasion" and proves that the Kremlin is "afraid to admit that catastrophic mistakes were made at the highest state and military level in Russia." He mocked the Russian leaders for seeking a "wonder weapon," referring to propaganda that Nazi Germany spread about nonexistent weapons as a method of psychological war.

In December 2020, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said that Russia was developing laser weapons against drones and a radio frequency system. He will be able to hit the electronic equipment of unmanned vehicles, Krivoruchko noted.

Head of State Vladimir Putin in May 2019 declared that combat laser systems for almost the entire century will determine the combat potential of the army and navy of Russia. Until recently, such weapons were found only in fantasy stories, but they have already been created in practice, the president said. In the same year, the military of the Russian Federation put the Peresvet complexes on combat duty.

Unmanned aerial systems, which are commonly referred to as drones, have become commercially available to the general public. While there may be many safe commercial and recreational uses for unmanned aerial systems these devices may potentially pose hazards to commercial and general aviation, the public, and private and government property if improperly operated. Furthermore unmanned aerial systems may be used to violate the privacy of personal, commercial, educational, athletic, entertainment and governmental activities. And unmanned aerial systems may potentially be used in the furtherance of invading privacy, or carrying out terrorist and/or criminal activities.

There is a need for a device and method of detecting the approach of an unmanned aerial system towards a location where personal, public, commercial, educational, athletic, entertainment and governmental activities occur and where an unmanned aerial system could potentially be used for invading privacy, or carrying out terrorist and criminal activities.

By 2014 China had developed and successfully tested a highly accurate laser defense system against light drones. The homemade machine boasts a two-kilometer range and can down "various small aircraft" within five seconds of locating its target. Boasting high speed, great precision and low noise, the system is aimed at destroying unmanned, small-scale drones flying under an altitude of 500 meters and at speeds below 50 meters per second, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by one of the developers, the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP).

A 2014 test saw the machine successfully bring down over 30 drones - a 100-percent success rate, according to the statement. The laser system is expected to play a key role in ensuring security during major events in urban areas. Intercepting such drones is usually the work of snipers and helicopters, but their success rate is not as high and mistakes with accuracy can result in unwanted damage.