The mine-disposal system is a scaled-down version of a robot-mounted variant
The Russian military has showcased a new man-portable laser system designed to safely disable mines and unexploded ordnance from up to 100 meters away.
The gun featured in a report by the military’s official media outlet, Zvezda TV, on Sunday is derived from a larger system designed for remotely controlled small ground vehicles. The channel demonstrated both variants alongside other modules intended for the tracked Kurier (“courier”) platform, which is being widely adopted by the Russian military.
The smaller gun is powered by a backpack-style battery pack and features a 1-kilowatt laser. Its beam is strong enough to burn through a plastic casing within seconds, provided the operator maintains a steady aim. The video showed that the best results are achieved when the weapon is mounted on a tripod.
The larger variant has twice the power and places the projector on a retractable lifting platform, allowing the laser to be fired from behind cover. Its greater stability and beam strength give it a range of up to 500 meters, according to the developer. Both the rover-mounted module and the man-portable gun have entered serial production.
A laser bomb-disposal system works by igniting the high explosives inside the targeted munition and burning them without causing a detonation. Operating from a distance is necessary in high-risk environments and helps reduce the danger posed by booby traps equipped with advanced sensors that may be triggered when a bomb-disposal specialist or conventional robot approaches.
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The Zvezda report also demonstrated other modules developed for the Kurier platform, including some designed by a frontline engineering unit involved in the Ukraine conflict. One of its creations is fitted with a drill and is used to prepare holes for poles before anti-drone nets are installed over roads in the battle zone.
Both Russia and Ukraine are developing new uses for remotely operated vehicles, which are increasingly being deployed for combat, resupply, medical evacuation, and military engineering missions.
