---

In an effort to counter the growing threat posed by Ukrainian drones, Russia has added a laser weapon to its arsenal, known as the “Silent Hunter.”

This weapon is considered the ideal solution to combat slow-moving drone threats—a category of threat that has played an increasingly crucial role on the Ukrainian battlefield. This prompted Russia to include it in its military equipment.

• Ukraine War: Kyiv Hints at Concessions in a Plan Full of Obstacles

• Ukraine War: Russian Advance Shifts the Balance of Power and a Target Bank Ahead of Winter

Footage shared by Russian media shows that the Russian army possesses the Silent Hunter 3000 laser weapon, which is Chinese-made.

Video clips show a mobile laser unit reportedly being used by the “Ospin Koshevnik” special operations unit during a field engagement with an enemy reconnaissance drone, according to Military Watch Magazine.

The footage shows the laser system hidden under a camouflage net before being activated. While earlier reports had hinted at Russia’s use of directed energy weapons, this appears to be the first visual confirmation of a Chinese-made “Silent Hunter” system.

• The Ukraine War drains Russian resources and affects its influence in the Mediterranean

• War Consumes the Reserves: Ukraine Lures Gen Z with Cash and Perks

What Do We Know About the “Silent Hunter”?

• Low-altitude laser defense system 
• Turret-mounted platform with optical targeting sensors and a 30-kilowatt laser 
• Developed by the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics 

Features:

• Neutralizes small low-flying aerial targets at distances of up to 1.5 km 
• Capable of jamming sensors at up to 3 km 
• Can detect aerial targets within a 5 km radius 
• Maximum laser operating time: 200 seconds 
• Can be fully deployed or shut down in less than five minutes 

• From 2022 to 2025… Key Diplomatic Milestones to Stop the War in Ukraine

• An American Historical Solution for the Ukraine Crisis: The Post-War Berlin Model

Western actors—including personnel, contractors, defense manufacturers, satellite networks, and surveillance assets—have played a key role in enabling Ukraine’s long-range drone and ballistic missile strikes on Russian targets.

These attacks, often launched by swarms of drones, have proven extremely difficult to intercept, targeting a wide range of sites—from residential buildings in Moscow to critical radar installations and airbases hosting Russian fighters and bombers.

• Behind the Fronts: An Image Sparks a Symbolic War between Russia and Ukraine

• On the Anniversary of the War in Ukraine… Russia Fails to Understand Trump’s Plan and Sets Its Negotiation Objective

Following a series of successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets, including in Moscow in early and mid-2023, Sergei Chemezov, CEO of the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, announced on August 7, 2023, that work was underway to develop advanced systems for detecting small, slow-moving drones capable of evading air defense systems.

• Third Anniversary of the War: Ukraine Caught Between Frontline Anxiety and Political Concerns

• Russia and Ukraine Exchange Records in the Drone Warfare

• In Ukraine… A New Enemy Emerges, and Russia Bets on “Trench Warfare”