1K17 Szhatie

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The 1K17 Szhatie (Russian: 1К17 Сжатие — "Compression") is a self-propelled laser vehicle of Soviet origin. The platform uses a modified T-80U chassis with a battery of laser projectors mounted in the turret. It was developed by the Soviet Union in order to disable the optical-electronic equipment of enemy missiles, ground and aerial vehicles.

The 1K17 Szhatie was developed in the 1970s and 1980s. Although the Soviet Union attempted to keep the plans secret, the Pentagon managed to obtain drawings from defectors. Western intelligence services code named it the Stiletto. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the development of the Szhatie was abandoned, as the development and manufacturing of the laser projection system had become too expensive and unnecessary. Two of these "tanks" were tested, with one being scrapped and the other being displayed in the Army Technology Museum near Moscow, but without its laser projector.

The "tank" used an intense laser beam to disable the optical-electronic equipment of the enemy vehicles. This was created by focusing light through 30 kg of artificial rubies, which made the whole system very expensive to produce. The optics that produced the laser were placed at the end of a silver coated spiral which helped amplify the beam and increase convergence. The energy to power the laser was provided by a generator and an auxiliary battery system. The lenses themselves were able to operate in different environments by moving metal caps closer to protect the lens. It was also equipped with a 12.7mm NSV machine gun to defend itself against attacks by infantry and air.

A similar laser system was also developed around the same time named "Sangvin", which was based on the ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.^[1]

This vehicle has sparked a folk tale in Romania according to which Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu used "laser weapons" in 1968 against Russian tanks. It claims that, after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, Ceaușescu received a telegram from the Foreign Ministry of Great Britain stating that the country was a target for a large-scale attack. Believing that Russia would invade Romania next, especially after squashing the Prague Spring, Ceaușescu ordered the deployment of Romanian troops to reinforce the border with the USSR and equipped them with the so-called "laser weapons".

There are no witnesses or evidence to support that this encounter was real or that such weapon ever existed.^[2]

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