The 1K17 was one of many many prototypes the Soviet Union inbuilt its quest for a “Self-propelled Laser Complex” (SLK). The idea was initially proposed within the Seventies and early Eighties with the event of the 1K11 Stilet. The Luch Central Design Bureau, below the management of Gen. Dmitry Ustinov, engineered two prototypes to ship round 1982. The 1K11 advanced had a laser emitter atop a tracked chassis.

After the Stilet was the “Sangvin” (Sanguine). This prototype utilized the chassis of the ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-air gun. The weapons had been eliminated and changed with a single laser emitter to disable the sensors and optics of fight plane. While there may be restricted take a look at knowledge accessible right this moment, quite a few sources counsel that at ranges of 5 to 6 miles, the Sanguine might go away a helicopter inoperable.

The most superior SLK arrived in 1989, within the type of the 1K17 Szhatie, however so did the top of the Soviet Union. However, the Russian navy powered forward, Assembled in December 1990 and trialed till 1992, the Szhatie demonstrated promising outcomes throughout testing. However, regardless of the success of the trials, the 1K17 by no means entered full-scale manufacturing or service.

[Featured image by Vitaly V. Kuzmin via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]