{"id":727,"date":"2015-12-09T08:24:04","date_gmt":"2015-12-09T11:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nachodelatorre.com.ar\/mosconi\/?p=727"},"modified":"2015-12-09T08:24:04","modified_gmt":"2015-12-09T11:24:04","slug":"how-to-kill-a-drone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=727","title":{"rendered":"How To Kill A Drone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may have seen a post we did last year<\/a> about claims by China\u2019s state-controlled news agency Xinhua<\/strong> that a Chinese defence agency had developed a laser weapon<\/strong> capable of destroying drones up to a distance of 1.2 miles<\/strong> (1.8 km<\/strong>) away. Apparently the China Academy of Engineering Physics<\/strong>, a government defence agency, designed the weapon to counter asymmetric threats<\/strong> posed by the increasingly proliferation<\/strong> of small UAV<\/a> around the world. According to Xinhua the laser system can find, target and destroy<\/strong> a drone flying up to 112 mph<\/strong> and at an altitude of less than 1,600 feet<\/strong> in just five seconds<\/strong>. The agency provided no images or video<\/strong> to back up their claims.<\/p>\n

\"Rheinmetall-defence-HEL-laser-destroys-drone<\/a><\/p>\n

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Well, the Chinese are not the only ones talking about countering asymmetric threats with laser weapons. Rheinmetall Defence demonstrated the capabilities of its high-energy laser effector<\/strong> (HEL<\/strong>) in live testing at Ochsenboden<\/strong>, Switzerland<\/strong> against drones<\/strong> and mortar rounds<\/strong>, and unlike the Chinese they\u2019ve provided video and pictures<\/strong>. Drones equipped with explosive charges or chemicals<\/strong> are a hidden danger for existing air defence systems, their small size<\/strong> and slow speeds<\/strong> make them difficult to detect and destroy<\/strong>. Small UAV are also relatively inexpensive<\/strong> and easy to conceal<\/strong>, with recent reports suggesting they could be used by terrorists groups<\/a> to attack civilian targets such as\u00a0international sporting events<\/strong>, or other large public gatherings, therefore governments are on the look out for effective defensive systems<\/strong> that can neutralize them.<\/p>\n

\"Rheinmetall-defence-HEL-laser-destroys-drone<\/a><\/p>\n

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Rheinmetall\u2019s Air Defence HEL effector<\/a> features a 30 kW laser cannon<\/strong> that was shown destroying five 82 mm mortar<\/strong> rounds at a distance of 0.6 miles<\/strong> (1 km<\/strong>) and also shot down several jet-powered UAVs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Watch the video below to see the HEL system in action<\/strong>.<\/p>\n