Russia is bragging about developing what it calls the world's first "radio-electronic weapon" that will soon arm all services in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

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This new weapon strikes one as a portable electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device from the description provided by Russian media.  

Russia claims its unverified radio-electronic weapon is based on "new physical principles" and includes technologies developed for beam, geophysical, wave, kinetic and other types of weapons. It said this weapon was first unveiled at a secret Russian Defense Ministry exhibition on the sidelines of the Army-2016 forum this September.

Russian forces will use the radio-electronic weapon to disable enemy drones and man-portable air- defense systems (MANPADS) such as the U.S. FIM-92 Stinger. It indicated this secret weapon may soon enter service with the armed forces.

The weapon was apparently built by United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UMIC), a state-run firm established only in 2014 as a specialized management company combining the research and production structure of Russia's radio-electronic industry.

UMIC's strategic goal is developing "high-tech manufacturing of competitive products in the field of communications tools and systems, automated control systems, electronic security and robotic systems that meet the needs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation ...."

"Working models of these weapons have been already developed and proved their effectiveness. This is a completely new type of weapon that has no equals either in this country or anywhere else in the world," said UMIC.

The new weapon can strike targets without using ammunition. Instead, the weapon uses a directed energy beam, which seems to indicate a laser of some sort. The weapon, however, has a very short range not exceeding one kilometer. This disadvantage limits the weapon's use to shooting at UAVs flying above the battlefield.

A Russian military analyst who apparently was given access to the weapon, however, said the test unit probably uses ultrahigh frequency impulses to immobilize aircraft electronics and render them useless.

This description is at odds with a laser and seems to indicate the weapon emits powerful EMP bursts.

Another analyst said the new weapon is especially effective against systems with microelectronics, a description that includes practically all military vehicles. He said this weapon isn't meant to destroy but to "disarm the enemy."

"It is effective because there is no way you can hide from an electronic wave. This is a kind of weapon that is meant to disarm the enemy," he said. 

TagsRussia, radio-electronic weapon, electromagnetic pulse, EMP, new physical principles, United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation