Russia says it tests new laser defences against drones

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it had conducted large-scale tests of new laser-based systems to defend against drones.

A government statement described the new technology as “promising” and said it had been tested against various types of drone in different weather conditions. It said the anti-drone lasers would become part of a “universal air defence system” that President Vladimir Putin said this week Russia needed to build.

“The test results will be used to refine existing models and create systems capable of providing reliable protection against modern air attack weapons. Conducting tests allows us to move on to serial production and upscaling,” the statement said. An accompanying video showed charred debris from a destroyed drone.