Russia is Hyping a New Military Laser Rifle

Novel counter-drone solution or defense vaporware?

A prototype laser rifle on display at the ExpoUAV defense conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, in late March. (Ekaterina Adamova/TASS)

The Russian military claims it’s in the process of developing a handheld laser rifle for troops to blast hostile drones out of the sky, according to state-run media.

An unspecified Russian defense group showed off its pro…