Ukraine has developed a prototype laser-based weapon to bring down Russian drone swarms. Dubbed Sunray, this is a cost-effective and scalable approach to countering Russian aggression, given the high cost of air-defense systems available from the US and Europe.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its fifth year, and the conflict has shown us the future of warfare already. From the early days of the movement of tanks and heavy artillery, Russia has now resorted to using drone swarms to target Ukrainian infrastructure.
On its part, Ukraine too has deployed drones to carry out specific attacks but Russia has continued its onslaught of drone attacks using cheaply made drones. In the early days of the conflict, Ukraine also received support from the US and Europe in the form of air-defense systems, but their continued usage does not make sense in the long run.
Questions of efficiency
When the invasion began in 2022, Russia was keen to use all its military might, deploying infantry vehicles, ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft. To counter this, the US supplied Ukraine with its Patriot missile system, while Germany supported with its IRIS-T systems.
Both are expensive defense systems designed to counter air attacks from advanced missiles. This is like countering a bullet with a bullet. However, Russia has switched to swarm attacks using cheaply made Iranian Shaheed drones. Deploying Western-supplied air defense systems to bring them down does not make economic sense.
With the changing geopolitical scenario, the US is now more focused on countering threats from Iran directly, while Germany is keen to protect its own borders if Russia makes a move.
Ukraine’s dependence on other Western nations for its own defense systems leaves it vulnerable and with hefty war bills to foot. This is why Ukraine has been working to develop its own air defense systems; the Sunray is not the only product.
The HELIOS system developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Navy cost $150 million. Image credit: Lockheed Martin.
How does Sunray work?
The Sunray prototype was recently demonstrated to a reporter from The Atlantic. According to the report, the laser-based weapon system easily fits in a car’s trunk and can be operated from a pickup truck.
It consists of a laser cannon that can easily be mistaken for a hobbyist telescope. Cameras affixed to the sides of the laser track the target and move accordingly. During the demonstration, the team flew a small drone and tracked its movement.
When the cannon was fired, it made no sound or light, but the drone began to burn as if suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning and fell to the ground in flames. This is not the first laser-based weapon in the world, but it is definitely the cheapest.
Interesting Engineering previously reported that Lockheed Martin developed the Helios system for the US Navy at a cost of $150 million. Engineers in Ukraine are building it for a fraction of this cost but will likely sell many of them to the Ukrainian government for several thousand dollars each.
Shooting down a Russian drone swarm would be much easier with such systems and would be extremely cost-effective. Ukrainian companies are partnering with companies in other nations to secure their supply chains and continue production even if their factories in Ukraine are destroyed.
The Russian conflict has not just shown us the future of warfare but also how frugally defence capabilities can be developed when survival is at stake.