South Korea will begin deploying drone-melting laser weapons designed to shoot down North Korean UAVs this year, the country's arms procurement agency said Friday.
The new laser weapons — dubbed the "StarWars Project" by South Korea — are invisible and noise-free, require no additional ammunition, operate solely on electricity and cost only about 2,000 won ($1.45) per shot, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The "Block-I" system, developed by Hanwha Aerospace, will be "put into operational deployment in the military this year," said Lee Sang-yoon, a DAPA official.