Reuters is reporting that the Russians claim to have deployed laser weapons in the war in Ukraine (1). These are supposed to be capable of blinding satellites and drones. It is also claimed that drones can be eliminated by thermal destruction. Nothing has been revealed about the nature of these lasers, but the Russians are insisting they are operational. There has been no confirmation of this from unbiased sources, or from the war zone.
The two systems are called Zadira (1) and Peresvet (2). Again, no information has been released regarding the mechanisms of these weapons, their wavelengths or power output. If they are in Ukraine and capable of blinding drones and satellites, we should hear about it rather soon, if not already. The Zadira system is claimed to thermally destroy drones with high energy targeting. An alleged test indicated it was capable of destroying a drone at 5 km within 5 seconds.
These lasers require high energy input to operate, so they must be hooked up to a large generator or other power source, significantly limiting their mobility. They also do not operate under adverse atmospheric conditions. Fog, rain and local emissions, such as smoke, could drastically limit their effectiveness, assuming that they are even functional and operating, an aspect some find highly questionable.
"Russia uses new laser weapons in Ukraine, Zelenskiy mocks 'wonder weapon' "
1. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-r...-idUSKCN2N40SF
"Peresvet (laser weapon)"
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peresvet_(laser_weapon)