South Korea Announces Laser Weapons Program Against Drones

South Korea has announced a project to develop laser weapons system to take down small aerial targets such as drones or missiles, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Tuesday.

The project is worth 88 billion won (US$73.98 million), the DAPA seeks to complete the development of the system named Block-I, capable of shooting laser beams against small unmanned aerial vehicles by 2023.  for operational deployment.

Once operationally deployed, the laser weapons system will direct lasers from optical fibers at aerial targets at a short distance to neutralize them.

It can react quickly, literally at the speed of light, and is capable of firing a number of shots without physical bullets or shells, as it relies on electrical power, which costs around 2,000 won per shot, the South Korean Yonhap news said quoting a DAPA statemnt.

The country’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has studied related technologies for years, DAPA added.

"After the development of the system aimed at small targets at close range, we will continue to upgrade it to intercept bigger targets farther away, such as fighter jets and satellites. in the future," the DAPA statement said.