Ukraine has created the Sunray laser air defence system, - The Atlantic

Ukraine has created the Sunray laser air defence system, - The Atlantic

Ukrainian engineers and military personnel have developed a prototype of the Sunray laser weapon, capable of silently shooting down drones at a distance. The development is part of a large-scale program to create a domestic analogue of the «Iron Dome» to protect the skies from massive Russian attacks.

This was reported in an article by The Atlantic.

As noted in the publication, the Sunray laser system is compact — it fits in the trunk of a pickup truck and emits no visible light or noise during operation. During tests, the system detected and destroyed a target drone in a matter of seconds. The estimated cost of the Ukrainian laser is several hundred thousand dollars. This is significantly cheaper than Western counterparts, such as the American Helios system, which costs tens of millions of dollars.

In addition to the laser, the Ukrainian «shield» includes other innovative developments:

• a high-speed interceptor drone P1-Sun, 3D-printed, which has already shot down over 700 «Shaheds»;

• wheeled robots with machine gun turrets;

• carbon-fiber clones of Russian air defence missiles.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has identified the deployment of domestic air defence as a priority due to the limited supply of Western weaponry. Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov (call sign «Lazar»), the founder of a successful strike drone unit, has been appointed as the commander of air defence forces and is responsible for building the «dome». The main task of the new command is to increase the economic efficiency of sky defence.

According to Yelizarov, Ukraine can no longer afford to spend expensive foreign missiles on cheap drones powered by lawnmower engines.

«Of course, you can use a Bentley to transport potatoes. But that’s not the smartest way to get the job done», — Yelizarov emphasized, highlighting the need for mass production of affordable interception tools.