Russian Micro-wave Weapon For intercepting UAVs
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Most of us know microwaves as a machine that warms our pre-prepared food, but microwaves can do a lot more than boil a glass of water in very little time. Recently it was revealed that the People’s Republic of China has developed a new non-lethal weapon based on micro-waves in order to disperse demonstrations that are getting out of hand. Russia has taken this micro-wave concept a step forward compared to the Chinese and has managed to channel the energy to be used as means for defense from aerial threat such as planes, UAVs and guided missiles.
This new weapon, developed in the Moscow Radio Engineering Institute, can intercept the threat from a distance of up to 10 kilometers and is deployed on the anti-aircraft Buk missile launcher. There’s also an option to install the weapon on a special platform which can give it a protection of 360 degrees. The weapon works in a way that the micro-waves are launched and focus on the target, melting the electronic particles which are the “brain” of the guided missile, plane or UAV.
Despite Russia’s army official announcement about this new weapon, experts are doubtful of the possibility of creating a weapon system with capabilities like those the russian are presenting. “To burn chips with microwave radiation from a distance of 10 km, the power source should be comparable with that of a nuclear explosion,” said Associate Professor of the MEPhI National Research Nuclear University, Alexander Kuzovlev. Kuzolev also adds that in such great a distance, the radiation loses its focus along the way to the target, which decreases its power, as well as that it takes optimal visibility in order to keep it concentrated enough.
So is this an actual weapon meant to benefit Russia’s aerial defense, or is this just disinformation? Unfortunately, all we can do is wait and see.
