Unmanned aerial vehicles have become a serious problem for the military on the front lines. Lightweight and inconspicuous, they are capable of delivering a warhead to a target at a significant distance.
Traditional air defense systems are suitable for combating them, but the question arises of the high cost of using anti-aircraft missiles, which are much more expensive than UAVs. However, the Russian holding company "RosElectronics" presented a multifunctional mobile laser complex "Rat" for combating drones back in 2020, which was intended to be a cheap alternative to air defense.
"Rat" is built on the basis of an armored vehicle and is equipped with a set of means for detecting and suppressing drones based on a laser. It also includes a radar, a directed microwave suppression system, and an automatic recognition and suppression complex for telecom channels.
"Rat" can detect drones at a distance of up to 3.5 km, and provides directed suppression of UAV control channels within a radius of up to 2.5 km. In the event of an unauthorized intrusion by several objects, "Rat" blocks their communication and satellite navigation channels. The complex operator can also physically destroy the drone using a directed laser destruction system.
Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with a search and surveillance device for observing and controlling equipment in zero visibility conditions.
Earlier www1.ru reported that the famous 23-mm GSh-23 cannon from MiGs and "Sukhoi" aircraft was spotted on an American Humvee armored vehicle.