A combat laser from China was spotted in Iran: experts compared it to the British DragonFire (photo)

According to experts, the British laser weapon has an advantage over the Chinese counterpart demonstrated in Tehran.

Iran is believed to have purchased and deployed a Chinese-made Shennong Shield combat laser designed to combat unmanned aerial vehicles. Experts of the Defense Express portal told how this laser system differs from the British DragonFire.

It is reported that the combat laser was seen in Tehran during the public Friday prayer with the participation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The relevant footage was published in the Persian-language Telegam channel dedicated to Iranian weapons. Analysts recognized in the photo a Chinese laser complex of the Shennong Shield type.

Laser system in Tehran Photo: Telegram

As noted in the publication, it is an analogue of such laser systems as DragonFire, developed in Great Britain. At the same time, the experts of the portal emphasized that the Chinese complex is inferior to the British one in power. So, the declared power of DragonFire is 55 kW, and Shennong Shield — 10-20 kW for the mobile version.

“If we do not even raise the topic of ensuring precision and accuracy, which is necessary in order to focus a narrow beam on a moving target, then only such a difference directly indicates the real capabilities of the Chinese Shennong Shield”, — experts note.

Shennong Shield Comparison and a laser spotted in Iran Photo: the war zone

Chinese sources also claim that the Shennong Shield is equipped with a radar station that can detect targets up to 5 km away. The declared range of destruction of some UAVs — up to 1.5 km, the blinding range of the drone's optical systems — up to 3 km, and the maximum time of continuous operation of the laser — 200 seconds.