South Korea will use 'Star Wars' laser weapons to zap down North Korean drones
Representative image of a drone
South Korea will soon start usinglaser weapons like those in the Star Warsfranchiseto shoot down North Korean drones. The weapon will be deployed later this year. With this, South Koreawill become the world's first country to deploy and operate such weapons in the military, said the country's arms procurement agency on Thursday (July 11).
Seoul has named its laser programme the "StarWars project".
StarWars project
Developed by the South Korean military in collaboration withHanwha Aerospace, thedrone-zapping laser weapons, as per Reuters,are being touted as effective and cheap. In a statement,the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) revealed that the laser is quiet and invisible, andone shot costs only2,000 won ($1.45).
DAPA called the weapons a "game changer," in the future battlefield and said:"Our country is becoming the first country in the world to deploy and operate laser weapons, and our military's response capabilities on North Korea's drone provocation will be further strengthened."
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How does the "StarWars" laser work?
As per the DAPA spokesperson, the "StarWar" laser weapons will shoot down flying drones by obliterating or simply burning down engines or other electric equipment inside the drones. This would take around 10 to 20 seconds, and will be done using beams of light, explained the spokespersonat a briefing.
This comes months after North Korean drones crossed into South Korea. In December, five Pyongyang drones entered South Korean territory, prompting Seoul toscramble fighter jets and attack helicopters to try to shoot down the drones.
Even though the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, the two Koreas remain technically at war, separated by a heavily fortified border. However, as per Reuters, this drone intrusion was the first of its kind in over six years — since 2017.
According to the United States, over the years, both nationshave violated the armistice that governs their shared border by sending drones into each other's airspace.
(With inputs from agencies)
