Weapons Procurement Agency said that South Korea will deploy laser weapons this year to shoot down North Korean drones, reported "Reuters".
Thus, it will become the first country in the world to have and use such weapons in the army. South Korea has called its laser program the "Star Wars Project".
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration explained that drone-killing laser weapons developed by the South Korean military with Hanwha Aerospace ( 012450.KS ) are effective and cheap, at 2,000 won ($1.45) per shot, but silent and invisible.
"Our country is becoming the first country in the world to deploy and use laser weapons, and our military's ability to respond to North Korea's provocation with a drone will be further enhanced,'' the Agency also said, pointing out that these weapons change the rules of the future battlefield.
At a briefing, a spokesman for the program commented that laser weapons shoot down flying drones by burning out motors or other electrical equipment in drones with light beams for 10 to 20 seconds.
According to the US organization RAND Corporation, countries including South Korea, China and the United Kingdom are racing to develop and deploy laser weapons, also known as directed energy weapons. There is significant interest in these weapons to help counter the proliferation of unmanned systems, as well as to target missiles in flight or satellites in orbit, the organization noted.
We recall that in recent months, tensions between the two countries have risen after the North sent thousands of garbage trucks across the border with the South, which angered Seoul and it renewed military actions along the border with North Korea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit also worried authorities in South Korea, with the country saying it would review sending weapons to Ukraine, angering Russia.
On July 9, Seoul delivered 800 South Korean tanks to Poland after the two countries signed a new consortium agreement that will form the basis of an order to supply K2PL tanks to the Polish armed forces.