Ukraine: MoD has given 'optimistic' account of conflict says expert
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Back in September, the MoD awarded three contracts to the UK industry to produce the cutting-edge weapons as part of the “Novel Weapons Programme (NWP)”. A Royal Navy vessel called the Type 23 frigate will be fitted with the first laser device so it can “detect, track, engage and counter” unmanned aerial drones. Another laser is set to be installed in the British Army’s Wolfhound armoured vehicle to counter drones and other aerial threats.
Known as Directed Energy Weapons (DEW), these laser weapons can reportedly revolutionise the battlefield by “providing unprecedented offensive and defensive flexibility to personnel on the frontline”.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin, said: “We are investing £6.6-billion in research and development across Defence over the next four years, reaffirming our commitment to provide the Armed Forces with truly advanced capabilities.
“Directed Energy Weapons are a key element of our future equipment programmes and we intend to become a world-leader in the research, manufacture and implementation of this next-generation technology.”
While it is confirmed that the UK is pressing ahead with the development of this sophisticated weapons technology, Russia has claimed to be doing the same.
But these remain claims and are yet to be proven as fact.
This is despite Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov claiming Russia used a laser weapon against a drone in Ukraine.
He said that Russian “physicists have developed and are now mass-producing laser system” that destroyed the drone “within five seconds”.
While militaries around the world are now developing these weapons systems, the majority are in the test or prototype stage, with their military value in a confrontation remaining unknown.
Alex Lord, Eurasia analyst at intelligence firm Sibylline, seemed sceptical about the veracity of Russia’s claim.
He told Express.co.uk: “Russia is also claiming advances in the field of laser weapons.
“Yury Borisov, Russian deputy prime minister for military development, claimed earlier this month that the system known as Peresvet is now widely deployed, which claims to be able to blind satellites in orbit.
“While the capability of such strategic laser weapons is largely untested and unknown, Borisov has also claimed that more tactical laser systems, including the Zadira system, have been successfully used in Ukraine to burn up and blind drones at a range of 5km.:
Mr Lord added: “(Ukrainian) President Zelensky has derided the reports of Russian laser weapons as akin to the Nazi wunderwaffen.”
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Mr Zelensky said in his address to Ukraine this month: “The clearer it became they [the Nazis] had no chance in the war, the more propaganda there was about the wonder weapon.
“Russia is trying to find its wunderwaffe. Allegedly laser. All this clearly indicates the complete failure of the invasion.”
Mr Lord went on: “And while their capabilities on the battlefield remain to be seen, history has taught us that a war machine that places its hopes on a small number of war-winning weapons, rather than investing and focusing on the bread-and-butter conventional capabilities that ultimately win wars, rarely ends well for that war effort.”
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