South Korea announced on Thursday that it is ready to begin mass producing laser weapons like those used in the United States. ‘Star Wars’ Franchise for shooting down a North Korean drone. NewsweekThe drone-destroying system, called Block-I, will be deployed later this year. With this, South Korea will become the first country in the world to deploy such technology, which is being developed by several armed forces. In addition, the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that an even more powerful version is also being planned, which could be a “game changer” in the future.
According to NewsweekSouth Korea has named its laser program the “Star Wars Project.” The country’s DAPA, which handles defense procurement, development and production, announced a 100 billion won contract to build the drone-destroying weapon. It described the weapon as effective and cheap and revealed that the laser is quiet and invisible, and a single shot costs only 2,000 won.
“Our country is becoming the first in the world to deploy and operate laser weapons, and our military’s response capabilities to North Korea’s drone provocations will be further strengthened,” the agency said.
Times The report states that Block-I creates a laser beam using fibre optic cables, which is fired from a relatively close distance against small drones. Each shot is silent and invisible to the naked eye. It lasts for 10 to 20 seconds and creates a temperature of over 700 Celsius, which is enough to damage and disable the drone’s engine or battery. It can be fired anywhere where there is adequate power supply.
“The cost per fire is extremely cheap compared to other guided weapons,” DAPA spokesman Jo Yong-jin told reporters in Seoul. “Low-cost attacking weapons and munitions such as small drones will be able to be responded to very effectively and efficiently,” he said.
South Korean aerospace company Hanwha Aerospace Company has been given the contract to manufacture these weapons. Newsweek The report points out that DAPA is already planning to develop a more powerful, longer-range anti-aircraft laser weapon: the Block-II. This weapon will involve increasing the power of the laser beam to hundreds of kilowatts, with the aim of destroying larger targets such as ballistic missiles and aircraft.
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Meanwhile, several countries, including the US, UK, Israel, Turkey, Germany and Japan, have also developed laser weapons. Earlier this year, the UK Ministry of Defence tested a laser weapon called Dragonfire, which reportedly destroyed an incoming drone from several miles away. With this, the ministry hopes to pave the way for a low-cost alternative to missiles to shoot down targets like drones. It further said that the weapon is accurate enough to hit a coin from a kilometre away.
Dragonfire will be used by both the Army and Royal Navy as part of their future air defence capabilities.