Overview
- A field demonstration witnessed by The Atlantic showed a small drone ignite and fall within seconds after the laser fired, with no audible sound or visible beam reported.
- Developers say the system fits in a car trunk and can be operated from a pickup truck, with onboard cameras automatically tracking targets.
- Ukrainian officials and creators claim unit costs in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars, contrasting with the U.S. Navy’s $150 million Helios program.
- The laser has been in development for about two years and was previously called Trident, with a Ukrainian commander citing an effective range of roughly 1.2 miles.
- Officials present Sunray as part of a push for an “anti-drone dome,” described by Ukraine’s leadership as an immediate survival priority.