Russia says it tests new laser defences against drones

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Friday it had conducted large-scale tests of new laser-based systems to defend against drones.

A government statement described the new technology as "promising" and said it had been tested against various types of drone in different weather conditions.

It said the anti-drone lasers would become part of a "universal air defence system" that President Vladimir Putin said this week Russia needed to build.

"The test results will be used to refine existing models and create systems capable of providing reliable protection against modern air attack weapons. Conducting tests allows us to move on to serial production and upscaling," the statement said. An accompanying video showed charred debris from a destroyed drone.

Both sides have deployed drones on a huge scale in the Russia-Ukraine war, using them to spot and hit targets not only on the battlefield but way beyond the front lines.

Ukrainian drones have frequently struck sites deep inside Russia such as oil depots, refineries and airfields, highlighting the need for Moscow to boost its defences.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones smuggled close to air bases in trucks inflicted serious damage to Russia's long-range bomber fleet.

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan, Editing by William Maclean)