Fired Up Since Last October? Russians Get Their Hands on a Chinese Laser Weapon for Drone Defense
Russia employs laser technology originating from China for thwarting unmanned aerial vehicles.
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It appears that Russia has been utilizing a Chinese-made laser anti-drone system since October 2024, nicknamed the Silent Hunter, to take out Ukrainian drones according to Militarnyi. This information comes courtesy of a video from the Russian blog Militárinformant, which shows the weapon system operated by soldiers from a Russian special unit known as Kochevnik (Nomads).
The video showcases both test shots and the obliteration of Ukrainian drones, leading military experts such as those from the blog Vodogray to speculate that these could be drones of the Shchedryk and Skywalker X8 varieties, along with drone decoys. Militarnyi posits that the Silent Hunter has been a fixture in the Russian army's arsenal since October 2024, based on the video's release date.
At its core, the Silent Hunter consists of a turret cannon furnished with a 30-kilowatt fiber laser, mounted on a vehicle, accompanied by radar and a command station for tracking and targeting drones. Its maximum reach has been reported as four kilometers. Allegedly, the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics played a key role in its development.
The Silent Hunter had its debut at a trade show in Abu Dhabi back in 2017. In addition to China and Russia, other users of this anti-drone system include Iran and Saudi Arabia. In mid-April 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that Ukraine had received intelligence suggesting that China was funneling weapons to Russia. However, China vehemently denied the charges, insisting that the nation had never provided Russia with lethal weapons.
Souces: ntv.de, jpe
- Russia
- China
- Ukraine
- Cyber Warfare
- Defense Technology
- Military
Insight: The Silent Hunter, a Chinese-developed laser anti-drone system, reached the hands of the Russian military as early as October 2024. Since its deployment, the Silent Hunter has been instrumental in defending against Ukrainian drone incursions, as evidenced by a video released in June 2025 showcasing its operation by the OSpN Kochevnik special operations group.
In light of the deployment of the Silent Hunter, a Chinese-developed laser anti-drone system, the employment policies of various military units in Russia, such as the OSpN Kochevnik special operations group, may need to be updated to adequately train and integrate the use of advanced defense technology like the Silent Hunter. Furthermore, the community policy regarding cyber warfare and defense technology could potentially be impacted by the strategic partnership between China and Russia, as shown by the transfer of the Silent Hunter.
