SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is set to begin producing and deploying laser weapons designed to shoot down drones this year, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the country would become the first in the world to deploy and operate such weapons in the military, as part of its efforts to acquire advanced warfare systems.
The laser weapon is capable of defending once morest unmanned aerial vehicles and multi-rotor helicopters at short range by firing fiber-optic laser beams at targets, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Last month, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed a deal worth regarding 100 billion won ($72 million) with South Korean defense company Hanwha Aerospace to produce the weapons system, Yonhap reported.
The Defense Industries Administration said that our country will become the first country in the world to deploy and operate laser weapons, and our army’s capabilities to deal with North Korean drone provocations will be enhanced, noting that these weapons will change the rules of the game on the battlefield in the future.
She explained that laser weapons shoot down drones during their flight by burning the engines or other electrical equipment in the drones with light beams for 10 to 20 seconds.
South Korea calls its laser program “Project Star Wars.”
Five North Korean drones crossed into the South in December, prompting Seoul to launch fighter jets and attack helicopters to try to shoot them down, the first such incident since 2017.
The fighting in the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, and with the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.
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2024-07-11 11:42:32