5P-42 Filin: Russian navy fits warships with hallucinogenic weapons

The Russian navy has begun fitting warships with “visual optical interference” weapons that can cause hallucinations, blindness and vomiting, according to reports.

The non-lethal 5P-42 Filin device was developed in order to make enemy troops miss their targets by inducing delirious conditions, reports the Daily Mail.

How does the 5P-42 Filin work?

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The Filin - a name that means Eagle Owl in Russian - is what is known as a “dazzler” weapon, using intense directed radiation to temporarily disable its target with flash blindness. A spokesperson for the weapon’s manufacturer, state-owned company Ruselectronics, said the Filin “deprives criminals of an opportunity to provide accurate fire or keep track of combat troops transfer”.

Visual optical interference (VOI) weapons are “also designed to interfere with aiming devices and some weapons”, reports science website Popular Mechanics.

According to Moscow’s state media, the Filin works best at twilight and night-time, creating fast pulses of bright light that dazzle onlookers.

During testing by Ruselectronics, the device was used against volunteers shooting various weapons including assault rifles, sniper rifles and machine guns at targets. Around half of the volunteers reported dizziness and nausea after exposure, and 20% said that they saw a “ball of light” moving in front of their eyes.

The manufacturer claims the Filin is also capable of “effectively suppressing” night vision technology, laser distance sensors, and even pointing systems for anti-tank missiles from a range of up to three miles (5km), says Russian state-sponsored news network RT. These claims have not been substantiated.

Is this new technology?

No. Popular Mechanics says that VOI technology “dates back to work done before the Second World War and, although clever, is not considered all that reliable as a weapon”.

During the War, the British used a then-secret weapon called the Canal Defence Light (CDL), an extremely powerful carbon-arc lamp fitted to Matilda II and M3 Grant tanks. Although its main use was to illuminate enemy positions, the CDL was also used to dazzle and disoriente enemy troops, making it harder for them to return fire accurately, according to the Tank Encyclopedia.

Where will the Filin be used?

The Filin has been mounted on two frigates, the Admiral Gorshkov and the Admiral Kasatonov, and is expected to be fitted to two more frigates of the same class that are under construction.

It may also be deployed on land by the Russian National Guard and special forces units operating against terrorists, The Times reports.

But despite the new weapon’s unpleasant effects, Popular Mechanics says that it’s “hard to see why Russia thinks Filin is worth the cost”.

“For ship-to-ship warfare Filin is not really all that useful, although it could be useful for warding off helicopters and small-boat crews, and perhaps even drone swarms,” the site concludes.