Fighting laser complex "Peresvet" through the eyes of the foreign press
In March of this year, the Russian leadership for the first time officially announced the existence of a promising combat laser complex, later called Peresvet. This model is not yet ready for full service in the army, but it is already showing some success. So, in early December, it was announced that the complex was being set up for pilot combat duty. How events will develop in the near future, and how soon the army will begin full-scale operation of the serial Peresvet is not yet specified.
The emergence of an unusual Russian-style weapons, using the so-called. new physical principles, could not fail to attract the attention of foreign experts and journalists. Since March, various publications about the Peresvet project have appeared in foreign editions and on specialized Internet resources. As expected, there were both positive assessments and harsh criticism. In addition, many authors of publications tried to maintain impartiality.
Terrible, rude and playful
Perhaps the most interesting foreign article about the Peresvet project was 6 December in the American edition with the loud title We Are The Mighty. The publication “Russia hasn't shown its laser weapon fire a single time” was supposed to open the eyes of a foreign reader and show him what the new Russian developments really are. However, this was done in a rude manner, with indecent hints and strange accusations.
The article began with a “friendly reminder” from the author. He “reminded” that Russia always lies about new technologies, and also pointed out that the Peresvet system has never been demonstrated in its work. Finally, the author recalled that the laser complex was first presented along with a number of other “high-profile” projects, and this fact was filed as something important.
However, the author of the article did not deny that Russia could create a laser weapon, or that the United States may not prepare for the emergence of such systems in a potential enemy. However, he urged not to rush and not to close strategic objects with mirrors to protect against lasers.
We Are The Mighty remembered the demos, shown in the spring and early winter, and found in them reasons for quibbles. The video was captured only some devices from the complex. In this regard, the author asks a mocking question: was it exactly a combat laser? Maybe this is a trailer with the equipment of a professional gamer who trains on trips?
Also, the American author recalled the development of the United States in the field of laser weapons. In particular, he pointed out that such systems need special means of power supply. For example, some samples of American combat lasers did not use electrical power, because at that time there were no power supply systems with suitable characteristics. In this regard, the complex had to equip "vats with chemicals." The result of this was the emergence of a complex capable of shooting down a rocket, but not at a real combat distance.
However, the situation has changed, and now there are lasers of sufficient power using electricity. Complexes of this kind were created for the army, the Air Force and the US Navy and have already been demonstrated in the work. New weapons were installed on different platforms, including armored vehicles. By 2021, it is planned to create a combat laser for fighter aircraft.
In general, despite rude expressions and dubious assessments, the editorial staff of We Are The Mighty acknowledges that Russia is indeed capable of creating a new combat laser complex. In this regard, the US military, primarily operators of unmanned aerial vehicles, should learn to work in the conditions of laser counteraction. However, with all this, the author calls obvious the fact of the superiority of the United States in laser technology. He also urges not to panic due to the fact that "Russian propaganda" made impressive statements.
The article ends with a mention of famous News about the T-14 and Su-57 projects in the “correct” interpretation. The author recalls the high ratings of this technique from Russian officials, but then ironizes: both samples are too expensive for Russia, and besides, none of them works as required.
As an example of a “special” reaction to news from Russia, one can also cite many publications in the press of one neighboring country. In the past few years, any news about the appearance of promising Russian weapons has led to a wave of at least critical articles in Ukrainian publications. However, the quantity does not translate into quality, and the entire shaft of publications of this kind is hardly worthy of a detailed study.
Neutral position
It should be noted that publications in the style of We Are The Mighty are rather the exception. Many other foreign publications are not prone to rudeness and outright rudeness. For example, the British tabloid Daily Mail 5 December responded to the latest news about the production of “Peresvet” on an experimental combat duty neutral article. However, the format of the publication led to the appearance of a screaming headline - "Russia unveils a gun, capable of destroying targets" in a split second, and begins its deployment ").
The article begins with the news of the last days: Russia introduced new powerful weapons, which, it is claimed, can hit the target "in a split second." The Russian Armed Forces received a new "space-age laser", named after a 16th-century warrior monk. The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video showing some stages of the Peresvet complex.
British journalists noted that almost nothing is known about the characteristics of the Russian combat laser. Nevertheless, there is information about the existence of such projects in a number of foreign countries. These lasers are offered to hit missiles and airplanes. The solution of such problems is provided by influencing the on-board electronics from long distances.
Also, the Daily Mail quoted the Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov, who earlier in an interview for the newspaper "Red Star" revealed some of the features of "Peresvet". He mentioned that a laser could hit a chosen target in a split second. In addition, he noted that previously, laser weapons were present only in books and cinema, but now he managed to reach supplies to the troops.
As you can see, with the exception of a couple of characteristic errors, the publication in the Daily Mail tabloid was neutral. Its authors confused the years of Alexander Peresvet’s life and “returned” to the old place of work of Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, but otherwise they behaved with restraint and, as far as possible, objectively. As for the loud title, it brings to mind the well-known features of tabloids.
Profile web portals, for obvious reasons, are also not prone to excessively loud statements and prefer to publish only news without biased comments. For example, the American online publication Army Recognition devoted an article to the latest news from Russia, almost entirely consisting of quotes from official sources. The news received the simplest and most logical headline: “Russian combat laser systems go on experimental combat duty” - “The Russian combat laser system goes on experimental combat duty”.
The Russian Peresvet laser systems are starting combat service, Army Recognition reports, citing the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Russian armed forces. The delivery of such equipment began in the 2017 year, and now a new stage of its service begins. Also, the American portal cited data on the training of personnel for the operation of advanced equipment. Refresher calculations for Peresvet conducted on the basis of the Military Space Academy. A.F. Mozhaisky and enterprises engaged in the project.
Finally, a brief is given. story perspective project, available from open sources. Army Recognition recalled Vladimir Putin’s 1 March 2018 speech, as well as other reports from a later time. In particular, foreign authors are aware of the methods of deploying Peresvet systems. Special deployment sites were equipped for them and all the necessary infrastructure was built.
Not without panic
It is no secret that a certain category of mass media, which is widely spread abroad, routinely interprets any news in a specific manner necessary to attract attention. The latest news about Peresvet was no exception, and they also made them almost panic-stricken. So, the British tabloid Daily Star, unlike the Daily Mail, did not retell the news in a neutral manner. On December 5, he published an article entitled “Russia deploys SATELLITES 'in seconds'” (“Russia deploys laser guns capable of destroying SATELLITES“ in seconds ”) of understandable content.
Daily Star immediately scares the reader: the new destructive laser guns of Vladimir Putin, capable of hitting targets in space in a few seconds, have already been deployed. The Peresvet system was commissioned on December 1 - just a few months after the US leadership found this development a cause for concern.
December 5 Russian Defense Ministry published a frightening video showing the new model of military equipment. A massive laser product hides in a well-protected shelter. An operator with a remote control can easily turn the laser gun in the right direction. After a quick demonstration, the laser setup was hidden under numerous protections.
The video was distributed with the comment: “Peresvet” is able to effectively repel air attacks and hit satellites in Earth orbit. Daily Star recalled the messages of June of this year, when information about the anti-satellite role of Peresvet first appeared. Also, the British edition quoted the most interesting excerpts from a recent interview with Y. Borisov. It is noteworthy that he was again called Deputy Minister of Defense.
The British tabloid did not miss the opportunity to once again scare the public, this time with other promising Russian projects. Readers were reminded of the whole spectrum of new projects presented in early March by the Russian president.
One theme and different reactions
It is not difficult to notice that foreign media are not some kind of unified environment in which there is complete agreement on all issues. Different publications that have different tasks or belong to different circles express a wide range of opinions on the same topics. The examples we have examined of the reaction of the foreign press to the news about the Peresvet Russian military laser complex perfectly confirm the absence of general judgments.
Moreover, in the case of Peresvet and other promising Russian developments, there is an obvious division of opinions into several groups in accordance with the direction of publications. Thus, tabloids and other not quite serious media, for obvious reasons, tend to exaggerate phenomena, events and threats. Publications with a strong military-political stance, such as We Are The Mighty, are also exaggerated, but in a different direction. In this case, there is an understatement of real merit, nagging and not quite adequate estimates or predictions. In some cases, it is also worth expecting incorrect statements or even outright abuse.
Regarding an objective assessment of situations and projects, they try to give only profile resources that collect and process the available information. The productive activity of such Internet publications and directories is limited by the lack of information on individual developments, but they do not attempt to compensate for the lack of information with loud statements.
In general, several recent conclusions follow from recent foreign publications. First and foremost: foreign specialists and the press have really noticed the Russian laser combat complex “Peresvet”, are showing interest in it and are trying to follow the news. There is also reason to believe that the Russian military laser has indeed become a cause for concern, and the news of the launch of its operational combat operations heightens anxiety.
Apparently, in the foreseeable future, the Peresvet laser complex will pass the necessary checks and fine-tuning, after which it will go into service and begin full-fledged combat duty. It should be expected that the news about such events will again attract the attention of the foreign press and will be the occasion for new publications. And now it is clear that we have to see articles and materials of a very different nature, both objective and critical, or intended to terrify the reader.
We Are The Mighty article:
https://wearethemighty.com/gear-tech/russia-laser-weapon-doesnt-fire
Daily Mail article:
https://dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6462561/Russia-unveils-LASER-CANNONS-destroy-targets-fractions-second.html
An article in Army Recognition:
https://armyrecognition.com/december_2018_global_defense_security_army_news_industry/russian_combat_laser_systems_go_on_experimental_combat_duty.html
Daily Star article:
https://dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/746392/russia-news-Vladimir-Putin-deploy-laser-cannons-satellite-video
The emergence of an unusual Russian-style weapons, using the so-called. new physical principles, could not fail to attract the attention of foreign experts and journalists. Since March, various publications about the Peresvet project have appeared in foreign editions and on specialized Internet resources. As expected, there were both positive assessments and harsh criticism. In addition, many authors of publications tried to maintain impartiality.
Terrible, rude and playful
Perhaps the most interesting foreign article about the Peresvet project was 6 December in the American edition with the loud title We Are The Mighty. The publication “Russia hasn't shown its laser weapon fire a single time” was supposed to open the eyes of a foreign reader and show him what the new Russian developments really are. However, this was done in a rude manner, with indecent hints and strange accusations.
The article began with a “friendly reminder” from the author. He “reminded” that Russia always lies about new technologies, and also pointed out that the Peresvet system has never been demonstrated in its work. Finally, the author recalled that the laser complex was first presented along with a number of other “high-profile” projects, and this fact was filed as something important.
However, the author of the article did not deny that Russia could create a laser weapon, or that the United States may not prepare for the emergence of such systems in a potential enemy. However, he urged not to rush and not to close strategic objects with mirrors to protect against lasers.
We Are The Mighty remembered the demos, shown in the spring and early winter, and found in them reasons for quibbles. The video was captured only some devices from the complex. In this regard, the author asks a mocking question: was it exactly a combat laser? Maybe this is a trailer with the equipment of a professional gamer who trains on trips?
Also, the American author recalled the development of the United States in the field of laser weapons. In particular, he pointed out that such systems need special means of power supply. For example, some samples of American combat lasers did not use electrical power, because at that time there were no power supply systems with suitable characteristics. In this regard, the complex had to equip "vats with chemicals." The result of this was the emergence of a complex capable of shooting down a rocket, but not at a real combat distance.
However, the situation has changed, and now there are lasers of sufficient power using electricity. Complexes of this kind were created for the army, the Air Force and the US Navy and have already been demonstrated in the work. New weapons were installed on different platforms, including armored vehicles. By 2021, it is planned to create a combat laser for fighter aircraft.
In general, despite rude expressions and dubious assessments, the editorial staff of We Are The Mighty acknowledges that Russia is indeed capable of creating a new combat laser complex. In this regard, the US military, primarily operators of unmanned aerial vehicles, should learn to work in the conditions of laser counteraction. However, with all this, the author calls obvious the fact of the superiority of the United States in laser technology. He also urges not to panic due to the fact that "Russian propaganda" made impressive statements.
The article ends with a mention of famous News about the T-14 and Su-57 projects in the “correct” interpretation. The author recalls the high ratings of this technique from Russian officials, but then ironizes: both samples are too expensive for Russia, and besides, none of them works as required.
As an example of a “special” reaction to news from Russia, one can also cite many publications in the press of one neighboring country. In the past few years, any news about the appearance of promising Russian weapons has led to a wave of at least critical articles in Ukrainian publications. However, the quantity does not translate into quality, and the entire shaft of publications of this kind is hardly worthy of a detailed study.
Neutral position
It should be noted that publications in the style of We Are The Mighty are rather the exception. Many other foreign publications are not prone to rudeness and outright rudeness. For example, the British tabloid Daily Mail 5 December responded to the latest news about the production of “Peresvet” on an experimental combat duty neutral article. However, the format of the publication led to the appearance of a screaming headline - "Russia unveils a gun, capable of destroying targets" in a split second, and begins its deployment ").
The article begins with the news of the last days: Russia introduced new powerful weapons, which, it is claimed, can hit the target "in a split second." The Russian Armed Forces received a new "space-age laser", named after a 16th-century warrior monk. The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video showing some stages of the Peresvet complex.
British journalists noted that almost nothing is known about the characteristics of the Russian combat laser. Nevertheless, there is information about the existence of such projects in a number of foreign countries. These lasers are offered to hit missiles and airplanes. The solution of such problems is provided by influencing the on-board electronics from long distances.
Also, the Daily Mail quoted the Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov, who earlier in an interview for the newspaper "Red Star" revealed some of the features of "Peresvet". He mentioned that a laser could hit a chosen target in a split second. In addition, he noted that previously, laser weapons were present only in books and cinema, but now he managed to reach supplies to the troops.
As you can see, with the exception of a couple of characteristic errors, the publication in the Daily Mail tabloid was neutral. Its authors confused the years of Alexander Peresvet’s life and “returned” to the old place of work of Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, but otherwise they behaved with restraint and, as far as possible, objectively. As for the loud title, it brings to mind the well-known features of tabloids.
Profile web portals, for obvious reasons, are also not prone to excessively loud statements and prefer to publish only news without biased comments. For example, the American online publication Army Recognition devoted an article to the latest news from Russia, almost entirely consisting of quotes from official sources. The news received the simplest and most logical headline: “Russian combat laser systems go on experimental combat duty” - “The Russian combat laser system goes on experimental combat duty”.
The Russian Peresvet laser systems are starting combat service, Army Recognition reports, citing the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Russian armed forces. The delivery of such equipment began in the 2017 year, and now a new stage of its service begins. Also, the American portal cited data on the training of personnel for the operation of advanced equipment. Refresher calculations for Peresvet conducted on the basis of the Military Space Academy. A.F. Mozhaisky and enterprises engaged in the project.
Finally, a brief is given. story perspective project, available from open sources. Army Recognition recalled Vladimir Putin’s 1 March 2018 speech, as well as other reports from a later time. In particular, foreign authors are aware of the methods of deploying Peresvet systems. Special deployment sites were equipped for them and all the necessary infrastructure was built.
Not without panic
It is no secret that a certain category of mass media, which is widely spread abroad, routinely interprets any news in a specific manner necessary to attract attention. The latest news about Peresvet was no exception, and they also made them almost panic-stricken. So, the British tabloid Daily Star, unlike the Daily Mail, did not retell the news in a neutral manner. On December 5, he published an article entitled “Russia deploys SATELLITES 'in seconds'” (“Russia deploys laser guns capable of destroying SATELLITES“ in seconds ”) of understandable content.
Daily Star immediately scares the reader: the new destructive laser guns of Vladimir Putin, capable of hitting targets in space in a few seconds, have already been deployed. The Peresvet system was commissioned on December 1 - just a few months after the US leadership found this development a cause for concern.
December 5 Russian Defense Ministry published a frightening video showing the new model of military equipment. A massive laser product hides in a well-protected shelter. An operator with a remote control can easily turn the laser gun in the right direction. After a quick demonstration, the laser setup was hidden under numerous protections.
The video was distributed with the comment: “Peresvet” is able to effectively repel air attacks and hit satellites in Earth orbit. Daily Star recalled the messages of June of this year, when information about the anti-satellite role of Peresvet first appeared. Also, the British edition quoted the most interesting excerpts from a recent interview with Y. Borisov. It is noteworthy that he was again called Deputy Minister of Defense.
The British tabloid did not miss the opportunity to once again scare the public, this time with other promising Russian projects. Readers were reminded of the whole spectrum of new projects presented in early March by the Russian president.
One theme and different reactions
It is not difficult to notice that foreign media are not some kind of unified environment in which there is complete agreement on all issues. Different publications that have different tasks or belong to different circles express a wide range of opinions on the same topics. The examples we have examined of the reaction of the foreign press to the news about the Peresvet Russian military laser complex perfectly confirm the absence of general judgments.
Moreover, in the case of Peresvet and other promising Russian developments, there is an obvious division of opinions into several groups in accordance with the direction of publications. Thus, tabloids and other not quite serious media, for obvious reasons, tend to exaggerate phenomena, events and threats. Publications with a strong military-political stance, such as We Are The Mighty, are also exaggerated, but in a different direction. In this case, there is an understatement of real merit, nagging and not quite adequate estimates or predictions. In some cases, it is also worth expecting incorrect statements or even outright abuse.
Regarding an objective assessment of situations and projects, they try to give only profile resources that collect and process the available information. The productive activity of such Internet publications and directories is limited by the lack of information on individual developments, but they do not attempt to compensate for the lack of information with loud statements.
In general, several recent conclusions follow from recent foreign publications. First and foremost: foreign specialists and the press have really noticed the Russian laser combat complex “Peresvet”, are showing interest in it and are trying to follow the news. There is also reason to believe that the Russian military laser has indeed become a cause for concern, and the news of the launch of its operational combat operations heightens anxiety.
Apparently, in the foreseeable future, the Peresvet laser complex will pass the necessary checks and fine-tuning, after which it will go into service and begin full-fledged combat duty. It should be expected that the news about such events will again attract the attention of the foreign press and will be the occasion for new publications. And now it is clear that we have to see articles and materials of a very different nature, both objective and critical, or intended to terrify the reader.
We Are The Mighty article:
https://wearethemighty.com/gear-tech/russia-laser-weapon-doesnt-fire
Daily Mail article:
https://dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6462561/Russia-unveils-LASER-CANNONS-destroy-targets-fractions-second.html
An article in Army Recognition:
https://armyrecognition.com/december_2018_global_defense_security_army_news_industry/russian_combat_laser_systems_go_on_experimental_combat_duty.html
Daily Star article:
https://dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/746392/russia-news-Vladimir-Putin-deploy-laser-cannons-satellite-video
- Ryabov Kirill
- Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Information