ALERT: Russia Deploys Chinese Silent Hunter Laser in Ukraine to Counter Drones.

Russian forces have reportedly deployed the Chinese-made Silent Hunter high-energy laser system in Ukraine, marking its first known combat use. The move, alongside Ukraine’s own apparent laser deployments in Odessa, signals a new phase in the escalating drone-countermeasure race.

Russian military units operating in Ukraine have begun using the Chinese-developed Silent Hunter laser air defense system, according to information published on multiple social media platforms and reviewed by Army Recognition’s open-source monitoring team. While neither Moscow nor Beijing has officially confirmed the deployment, the reported combat use would represent the first battlefield employment of China’s export-oriented directed-energy weapon, as both sides search for cost-effective ways to counter the relentless expansion of drone warfare.
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The Chinese Silent Hunter is a high-energy fiber-optic laser weapon system designed to disable drones and low-flying threats with pinpoint precision. It can be mounted on various combat platforms, including 6x6 tactical trucks and fixed installations, offering mobile or static deployment options for rapid counter-UAV defense. (Picture source: China Poly Technology)

The Silent Hunter system, developed by the Chinese state-owned conglomerate Poly Technologies, has been visually confirmed through footage shared by Russian military-affiliated social media accounts. Mounted on a modified 6x6 tactical truck, the platform features a roof-mounted laser turret, optical tracking system, and ruggedized generator module. Though neither Moscow nor Beijing has issued any official statement confirming its presence, the vehicle’s configuration, sensor suite, and beam optics match those seen at Chinese defense exhibitions and promotional materials, leaving little doubt about its identity.

Designed to neutralize low-altitude aerial threats, the Silent Hunter uses a high-energy fiber-optic laser capable of burning through drone structures, sensors, or propulsion systems. With a reported output of 30 to 100 kilowatts, depending on the variant, it is believed to engage small UAVs effectively at ranges up to 1.5 kilometers. It can receive targeting data from radar or optical sensors, track moving threats in real time, and silently disable incoming drones without radar exposure or ammunition expenditure. The system’s primary tactical advantage lies in its low per-engagement cost and the ability to respond quickly to drone swarms, a capability Russia has lacked in many frontline zones saturated by Ukrainian unmanned systems.

The presence of Silent Hunter on the battlefield underscores how deeply China has become a silent partner in sustaining Russian military capabilities. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Beijing has avoided formal alliance status but has provided critical indirect support. This has included dual-use technologies such as semiconductors, thermal imaging modules, UAV components, and now, according to these latest field observations, operational energy weapons. While officially maintaining a neutral diplomatic posture, China has leveraged state-owned enterprises like Poly Technologies to deepen Russia’s access to advanced military hardware below the threshold that would trigger Western sanctions. For China, Ukraine provides a live testing ground to evaluate its next-generation systems under real combat conditions without direct confrontation with the West.

Meanwhile, evidence has emerged that Ukraine is deploying its own laser systems in defensive positions around key infrastructure. A video published on December 20, 2025, by crew members of a Turkish amphibious ship docked in Odessa shows Ukrainian air defense positions in full operation. The footage, shared on multiple social platforms without censorship, shows two laser beams emitted from ground-based platforms near anti-aircraft artillery emplacements. Open-source analysts and former NATO targeting officers reviewing the footage confirm the beams are active and focused, indicating either a targeting, guidance, or counter-optics function.

While no official details have been released by Ukrainian authorities, defense specialists suggest several possible operational roles. The lasers may be used to blind or disrupt drone electro-optical sensors, assist in guiding semi-active laser munitions such as APKWS-type rockets (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, a laser-guided upgrade kit for 70mm rockets), or serve as part of an integrated target acquisition suite tied into broader air defense systems. The specific platforms involved remain unidentified, and it is unclear whether these are domestically developed, imported under classified arrangements, or field-modified versions of commercial-grade laser systems adapted for military use.

The simultaneous appearance of directed-energy systems on both sides of the conflict confirms that laser weapons have moved beyond theoretical testing and into practical combat application. What began as science fiction and later evolved into static base-defense roles has now fully entered the mobile battlefield. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces are integrating laser technology not as futuristic experiments, but as immediate solutions to counter an evolving threat that traditional systems alone cannot manage. With UAV saturation defining modern combat, ranging from low-cost commercial quadcopters to long-range loitering munitions, lasers offer the rare combination of speed, precision, and sustainability.

These developments carry profound implications for NATO and Western defense communities. While the United States and its allies have made considerable progress in developing high-energy laser systems, such as the U.S. Army’s DE M-SHORAD, the U.S. Navy’s HELIOS, and the UK’s DragonFire, none have yet been deployed in combat. The real-world use of Silent Hunter and Ukraine’s own tactical laser systems provides an unprecedented case study in the effectiveness, limitations, and tactical value of directed-energy weapons under wartime conditions. It also highlights a new front in great power competition, as Chinese systems gain battlefield validation in a conflict that pits Western-backed Ukrainian forces against a Russian military increasingly sustained by foreign technology.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.