The 5P-42 Filin (

eagle owl The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus ''Bubo'', at least as traditionally described. The genus name ''Bubo'' is Latin for owl. This genus contains 10 species that are found in many pa ...

) is a Russian electro-optic countermeasure system developed by Roselectronics for the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

. The system is designed to disrupt the enemy combatants' eyesight at night and prevent them from targeting a protected platform. Besides that, it is also capable of suppressing night vision devices, laser rangefinders, anti-tank missiles, and other electro-optical sight systems. It was first unveiled in December 2018, and its naval version is currently being deployed at the

Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate The Project 22350 also known as the ''Admiral Gorshkov'' class, is a class of frigates of the Russian Navy. The ships are being built by the Severnaya Verf in Saint Petersburg at a cost of $250 million per ship. The class was designed by the Sev ...

Design

The 5P-42 Filin creates a powerful beam of light, similar to the strobe-like effect, preventing enemy soldiers from aiming and targeting protected platforms, especially if they are using guns. During tests, volunteers reported having trouble reaching their targets that were protected by the system when shooting with rifles and guns, because they couldn't see. Additionally, about half of the volunteers said they felt dizzy, nauseous, and disoriented, and about 20 percent of the volunteers reported experiencing hallucinations. The effective range of the system is while its impact angle is 10-15 degrees. The Filin can be also effectively used against various military electronics operating in the optical spectrum such as infrared laser rangefinders, night-vision goggles, or anti-tank missile launchers at a distance of up to . The system is intended to be used in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, and possibly also with

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

and the

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units of Russia.

Operational history

In February 2019, Russian and frigates became the first to use the countermeasure, each frigate was fitted with two 5P-42 Filin stations.

Operators

; *

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

References

{{reflist Electronic countermeasures Non-lethal weapons Military electronics of Russia