Russia Becomes First Country to Introduce Combat Lasers into Service

Russian-made combat lasers, Peresvet, have started to enter duty with the Russian armed forces, making it perhaps the first country in the world do so.

"Peresvet laser systems, based on new physical principles, entered combat service in testing regime with the Russian armed forces," the paper said. "The armed forces started receiving them in 2017 as part of the state procurement program," the Russian Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported on Wednesday, TASS said.

However a comment in the Krasnaya Zvezda report that the laser's entry into service is in the "testing regime," could indicate that the weapon is still not qualified for combat and that it has been handed over to the armed forces to conduct pre-introduction tests.

Russian military personnel operating those systems underwent special training at the Mozhaysky Military Space Academy in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg."As combat units trained using this advanced weaponry, they learned and practiced their deployment and preparations for use," the paper said.

During his State of the Nation Address on March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested county fellows choose names for a laser weapon, an underwater nuclear-powered drone and a nuclear-powered cruise missile. The laser combat system was named Peresvet after Alexander Peresvet, a medieval Russian warrior monk.

A Russian MoD handout video shows the laser system being mounted on a wheeled platform indicating that it is meant for use by Russia’s land forces.

The Peresvet laser, named after a 14th century Orthodox monk who fought in single combat against a Tatar champion at the Battle of Kulikovo. While most of its capabilities remain secret, the laser weapon is said to be capable of disrupting "drones, missiles and aircraft."