Weapons

Russia developing laser, electromagnetic and plasma weapons, Kremlin says

Russia’s defence ministry has said it is developing laser, electromagnetic and plasma weapons that can be fired at “hypersonic” speeds.

Russian deputy defence minister Yuri Borisov said the Kremlin was funding research into weapons that used “new materials”.

Work carried out jointly by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the defence ministry was likely to herald a “serious breakthrough in the field of laser issues [and] electromagnetic weapons", Mr Borisov said.

"Coming next are hypersonic weapons, which require the use of principally new materials and control systems that operate in a completely different medium, in plasma,” Russian news agency Tass quoted him as saying.

Hypersonic speeds are those which exceed five times the speed of sound, equivalent to around 3,800mph.