Peresvet (laser weapon)
Peresvet Пересвет | |
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Type | Directed-energy weapon |
Place of origin | Russian Federation |
Service history | |
In service | December 2019–present[1] |
Used by | Russian Armed Forces |
Production history | |
Produced | 2017–present |
No. built | ~5[2] |
Specifications | |
Maximum firing range | 1500 km (claimed)[3] |
External videos | |
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The Peresvet (Russian: Пересвет), named after Alexander Peresvet, is a Russian laser weapon for air defense and anti-satellite warfare.[4][3][5]
The Peresvet is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018. As of May 2022, five units of the system are claimed to be in active service.[3]
There are no corroborating reports of the system's use or evidence of combat effectiveness, however. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mocked Russian claims made during the Russo-Ukrainian War as propaganda and compared it to the Wunderwaffen myth during World War II.[6] By 2022, the focus of Russian press releases has shifted to a newer system designated Yadira-16 which, unlike Peresvet, is supposedly capable of not just blinding but destroying its targets. Both systems share a lack of evidence for their effectiveness.[6][7]
History
The system was revealed for the first time by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his message to the Federal Assembly on 1 March 2018. The equipment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with the complexes began in 2017. On 1 December 2018, the Peresvet laser complex took over experimental combat duty.[8][4] According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Peresvet laser complexes were to enter service in December 2019.[1] The complexes have been deployed with the road-mobile ICBM launchers with the task of covering their maneuvers.[9] On 1 December 2019, Minister of Defence of Russia Sergei Shoigu announced Peresvet was deployed with five divisions of the Strategic Missile Forces.[2]
Design
According to the military expert Igor Korotchenko, director of the Center for Analysis of the World Trade in Arms, the Peresvet combat laser can be successfully used against unmanned aerial vehicles. At the same time, its effectiveness directly depends on environmental conditions: in good weather, it works perfectly, but fog, rain, snow and other adverse weather events can interfere with the passage of the laser beam. The expert also added that such installations consume a lot of electricity, so using them as a portable tool is unlikely to succeed; in the future they will be able to protect military bases and other locations from penetrations of UAVs into their territory.[10] The system can also blind enemy satellites in orbits of up to 1,500 km and "disabling them during their fly-past by means of laser irradiation", according to Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Borisov.[3]
Gallery
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Marching configuration
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Transition to combat configuration
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Combat configuration
Reference
- ^ a b "All laser systems Peresvet to enter duty in December 2019". tass.com. 20 February 2019.
- ^ a b "В России завершили развертывание установок "Пересвет", заявил Шойгу" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Russian Peresvet laser weapon can blind satellites at 1500 km altitude". armyrecognition.com. 19 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Стало известно возможное назначение боевого лазера "Пересвет"". ria.ru. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022.
- ^ "The Space Review: Peresvet: a Russian mobile laser system to dazzle enemy satellites". www.thespacereview.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- ^ a b "Russia's laser weapon claim derided as propaganda". BBC News. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- ^ "Russlands angebliche Wunderwaffe: Was hinter der Ankündigung von Laserwaffen steckt". Der Spiegel (in German). 2022-05-20. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
- ^ "На боевое дежурство заступили «Пересветы» — "Красная звезда"". redstar.ru. December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021.
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timestamp mismatch; 14 April 2021 suggested (help) - ^ "Начальник Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации генерал армии Валерий Герасимов встретился с представителями военно-дипломатического корпуса, аккредитованными в России". function.mil.ru (in Russian). 18 December 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "Эксперт рассказал о недостатках боевого лазера «Пересвет»". hi-tech.mail.ru. 21 October 2018.