The government will begin mass production of a laser weapon designed to shoot down enemy drones for deployment this year.

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) on Thursday, the Block-1 anti-aircraft laser weapon would be capable of precisely striking down North Korea's small-sized drones by firing laser beams, generated by fiber optics, at targets.

Increasing the output of the laser system could enable it to target aircraft or ballistic missiles.

Single firing of the electricity-powered weapons system would only cost around two-thousand won, or around one U.S. dollar and 45 cents, and there are no shelling damage concerns.

As part of the "Korean Star Wars project," the government launched the laser weapon's development worth some 87-point-one billion won in 2019, with participation by Hanwha Aerospace for system production.