This Korean weapon can take down drones for ₹125/shot
South Korea has commenced the mass production of a low-cost laser weapon, dubbed Block-I, designed to shoot down small drones. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) revealed that the weapon can "precisely strike small unmanned aerial vehicles and multicopters at close range." The price per shot is estimated to be around $1.50 (nearly ₹125), making it a cost-effective solution for aerial defense.
Block-I: A game changer in defense
As per DAPA's images, the Block-I laser weapon, approximately the size of a shipping container, features a laser mounted on top. and a radar or tracking device on one side. The unit measures 9x3x3m and fires laser rays that are difficult to detect before impact. The agency described the weapon as "invisible and noiseless," requiring only electricity for operation. Future versions could potentially target larger objects like aircraft and ballistic missiles, which DAPA suggests could be a "game changer."
Cost-effective solution amid rising drone threats
The introduction of Block-I is timely, as small drones have demonstrated their capability to disable or destroy costly military hardware in regions like Ukraine. Traditional responses have involved expensive defensive systems, costing lots of money per strike. James Black from the RAND Europe think tank noted, "Low-cost drones and rockets have swung the economic calculus of offense and defense in favor of those using large volumes of cheap unmanned systems, and munitions to overwhelm more sophisticated air and missile defenses."
South Korea leads in deployment of mass-produced laser weapon
The Block-I system has been under development for five years, with over $63 million invested in its creation, per DAPA. The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) spearheaded the system's development in collaboration with Hanwha Aerospace, a private aerospace company in South Korea. After achieving a 100% success rate in live-fire tests, the system was declared suitable for combat in April 2023. With this, South Korea becomes the first country to publicly announce the deployment of a mass-produced laser weapon.
