In March of this year, the Russian leadership for the first time officially announced the existence of a promising combat laser complex, which was later named "Peresvet". This sample is not yet ready for full-fledged service in the army, but it is already showing some success. So, in early December, it was announced that the complex was put on experimental combat duty. How events will develop in the near future, and how soon the army will begin full-fledged operation of serial "Peresvetov" - has not yet been specified.
The emergence of an unusual Russian model of weapons using the so-called. new physical principles could not fail to attract the attention of foreign experts and journalists. Since March, various materials about the "Peresvet" project have appeared in foreign publications and on specialized Internet resources. As expected, there were both positive assessments and harsh criticism. In addition, many authors of publications have tried to remain impartial.
Menacing, rude and playful
Perhaps the most interesting foreign article about the Peresvet project was published on December 6 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 are really worth. 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 is always lying about new technologies, and also pointed out that the "Peresvet" system had never been demonstrated in operation. Finally, the author recalled that the laser complex was first presented along with a number of other "high-profile" projects, and this fact was presented as something important.
However, the author of the article did not deny that Russia could create laser weapons, or that the United States might not prepare for the appearance of such systems from a potential adversary. However, he urged not to rush and not cover strategic objects with mirrors to protect against lasers.
We Are The Mighty remembered the demos shown in the spring and early winter, and found reasons for nagging in them. The video captured only some of the devices from the complex. In this regard, the author asks a mocking question: was it really a combat laser? Could this be a trailer with the gear of a professional gamer who trains on the road?
Also, the American author recalled the US developments in the field of laser weapons. In particular, he pointed out that such systems require special means of energy supply. So, some samples of American combat lasers did not use electric power, since at that time there were no power supply systems with suitable characteristics. In this regard, the complex had to be equipped with "vats with chemicals". The result of this was the emergence of a complex capable of shooting down a missile, but not at the distances of a real battle.
However, the situation has changed, and now there are lasers of sufficient power that use electricity. Complexes of this kind were created for the US Army, Air Force and Navy and have already been demonstrated in operation. The new weapons were installed on various 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 admits that Russia is indeed capable of creating a new combat laser complex. In this regard, the American military, primarily operators of unmanned aerial vehicles, should learn to work in conditions of laser countermeasures. However, with all this, the author calls the obvious fact of the superiority of the United States in laser technologies. He also urges not to panic over the fact that "Russian propaganda" has made impressive statements.
The article ends with a mention of well-known 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 ironically: both samples are too expensive for Russia, and, moreover, none of them works as expected.
Many publications in the press of one neighboring country can also be cited as an example of a “special” reaction to news from Russia. In the past few years, any news about the emergence of promising Russian weapons has led to a wave of at least critical articles in Ukrainian publications. However, quantity does not translate into quality, and the entire wave of publications of this kind is hardly worthy of detailed study.
Neutral position
It should be noted that publications in the style of We Are The Mighty are rather an exception. Many other foreign publications are not prone to rudeness and outright rudeness. For example, the British tabloid Daily Mail on December 5 reacted to the latest news about the setting of "Peresvet" on experimental combat duty with a neutral article. However, the format of the publication led to the appearance of a screaming headline - "Russia unveils its LASER CANNONS that can destroy targets 'within fractions of a second' and have now begun being deployed" and begins its deployment ").
The article begins with news of recent days: Russia has introduced powerful new weapons, which, it is argued, can hit a 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 has published a video showing some stages of the operation 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 for hitting missiles and aircraft. The solution to such problems is provided by influencing the on-board electronics from long distances.
Also, the Daily Mail quoted Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, who earlier in an interview for the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper revealed some of the features of Peresvet. He mentioned that a laser can hit a selected target in a split second. In addition, he noted that previously, laser weapons were present only in books and movies, 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 in nature. Its authors confused the years of Alexander Peresvet's life and "returned" Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov to his old place of work, but otherwise behaved with restraint and, to the best of his ability, objectively. As for the loud headline, it brings to mind the well-known features of the tabloids.
Profile Internet portals, for obvious reasons, are also not inclined to excessively loud statements and prefer to publish only news without biased comments. For example, the American online edition Army Recognition devoted an article to the latest news from Russia, almost entirely consisting only of quotes from official sources. The news received a simple and logical headline: "Russian combat laser systems go on experimental combat duty" - "The Russian combat laser system goes on experimental combat duty."
Russian laser systems "Peresvet" begin experimental combat service, writes Army Recognition with reference to the newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda" - the mouthpiece of the Russian armed forces. The delivery of such equipment began in 2017, and now a new stage of its service begins. Also, the American portal cited data on the training of personnel for the operation of promising technology. The retraining of the crews for the "Peresvet" was carried out on the basis of the Military Space Academy. A. F. Mozhaisky and at the enterprises involved in the project.
Finally, a brief history of a promising project, available from open sources, is given. Army Recognition was reminded of Vladimir Putin's speech on March 1, 2018, as well as other messages of a later date. In particular, foreign authors know about the methods of deploying the Peresvet systems. For them, special deployment sites were equipped and all the necessary infrastructure was built.
Not without panic
It is no secret that a certain category of mass media, which is widespread abroad, habitually interprets any news in a specific manner necessary to attract attention. The latest news about "Peresvet" was no exception, and they were also made a reason for almost panic. Thus, 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 titled "Russia deploys laser cannons that can obliterate SATELLITES 'in seconds".
The Daily Star immediately scares the reader: Vladimir Putin's new destructive laser cannons, capable of hitting targets in space in a matter of seconds, have already been deployed. The Peresvet system entered service on December 1, just a few months after the US leadership considered the development to be a cause for concern.
On December 5, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a frightening video showing a new sample of military equipment. A massive laser item hides in a well-protected shelter. The operator with a remote control easily turns the laser gun in the desired direction. After a quick demonstration, the laser system was hidden under numerous protective equipment.
The video was distributed with the comment: "Peresvet" is capable of effectively repelling air attacks and hitting satellites in Earth orbit. The Daily Star recalled reports in June this year, when information about Peresvet's anti-satellite role first surfaced. Also, the British edition cited the most interesting excerpts from a recent interview with Yuri Borisov. It is noteworthy that he was again named Deputy Defense Minister.
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 full range of new projects presented at the beginning of March by the Russian president.
One topic and different reactions
It is not at all difficult to notice that the foreign media are not a kind of unified environment in which there is complete agreement on all issues. Different publications with different tasks or belonging to different circles express a wide range of opinions on the same topics. The examples we have considered of the reaction of the foreign press to the news about the Russian military laser complex "Peresvet" perfectly confirm the absence of common judgments.
At the same time, in the case of "Peresvet" and other promising Russian developments, there is a clear division of opinions into several groups in accordance with the direction of the publications. So, tabloids and other not quite serious media, for obvious reasons, tend to exaggerate phenomena, events and threats. Publications with a pronounced military-political stance, such as We Are The Mighty, also exaggerate, but in a different direction. In this case, there is an underestimation of real merits, nit-picking and not quite adequate assessments or forecasts. In some cases, you should also expect incorrect statements or even outright abuse.
Only specialized resources that collect and process available information are trying to give a relatively objective assessment of situations and projects. The productive activity of such Internet publications and reference books is limited by the lack of information on individual developments, but they do not try to compensate for the lack of information with loud statements.
In general, several conclusions follow from the latest foreign publications. First and foremost: foreign experts and the press really noticed the Russian laser combat complex "Peresvet", show interest in it and try to follow the news. There is also reason to believe that the Russian combat laser has indeed become a cause for concern, and news of the start of its experimental combat operation heightens concern.
Apparently, in the foreseeable future, the Peresvet laser complex will undergo the necessary checks and fine-tuning, after which it will enter service and begin full-fledged combat duty. It should be expected that news about such events will again attract the attention of the foreign press and become a pretext for new publications. And it is already clear that we are going to see articles and materials of a very different nature, both objective and critical, or designed to terrify the reader.
