The newest Russian laser air defense system of the "Posokh" project has become an absolute means of protecting the sky. Military historian Yuri Knutov revealed the details of the system's operation.
At the heart of "Posokh" is a ytterbium laser that destroys UAVs with a directed energy beam. Even during tests in 2025, the complex burned through a drone's wing at a distance of 50 m in 0.1 seconds.
We developed lasers that were capable of reflecting targets first at 700 m, then up to 1 km, and then we proposed increasing it to 1.5 km. Moreover, the destruction occurs not even in a second, but much faster. Lasers automatically track the target and destroy it with a laser beam.
According to him, it is the speed of destruction that directly indicates the high power of the laser. Otherwise, the UAV would have to be affected for much longer.
To increase efficiency, "Posokh" was integrated with radar, which allows for more accurate detection and tracking of "birds". According to the latest information, during tests, it was possible to achieve a range of application of exactly 1.5 km.
But the main obstacle at the moment is cooling the unit after each shot. Unlike classic air defense systems, the laser cannot continuously fire at a large number of targets without pauses.