Ukraine has announced the development and deployment of a system of laser weapons nationally manufactured called Tryzub‘Trident’ in Spanish, capable of shooting down aircraft at altitudes greater than 2 kilometers. According to Interfax-Ukraine, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyicommander of the USF (English acronym for Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces), announced this Monday during the We Build Ukraine conference, focused on cooperation between the Ukrainian defense industry and European partners. Thus, Ukraine becomes the seventh country in the world to have this type of weapons.
In his speech, Colonel Sukharevskyi stated that the system is operational and that it is part of efforts to expand and strengthen Ukraine’s capabilities in the war against Russia. ‘Today we can shoot down aircraft at an altitude of more than 2 kilometers with this laser’he pointed out. Ukraine has not shared images confirming its operational status or technical specifications.
Ukrainian analysts have compared the Tryzub’s performance with other Western laser systems. He AN/SEQ-3 LaWS The US model has a range of 1.6 kilometers and power output of 50 kW, while the DragonFire British reaches 55 kW of power and an accuracy of 23 millimeters at a distance of at least 1 kilometer, although its real range remains secret. Experts point out that Achieving an effective range of 2 kilometers generally requires power of at least 50 kW and stable beam control to attack moving aerial objects.
The possibility of Ukraine having this type of weapon was on the table since last April, the then Secretary of State for Defense of the United Kingdom, Grant Shappsstated that DragonFire could potentially used in Ukraine to counter Russian drones. This issue was again addressed by Rustem UmerovUkrainian Defense Minister, and John HealeySecretary of Defense of the United Kingdom, last October.
DragonFire, developed by a consortium that includes MBDA UK, Leonardo UK, QinetiQ and Dstluses beam combination technology for precise aiming. He has demonstrated the ability to impact a 1 pound coin at 1 kilometerwith an estimated operating cost of approximately €11 per shot. With an operational deployment scheduled for 2027is not ready yet, but production efforts are being accelerated to make it sooner. Testing in Scotland this year validated the system’s ability to track and neutralize moving targets.
Together with Tryzub, Ukraine has announced the development of a mother drone that carries 2 FPV drones (first person view). They have a range of 70 kilometers and are designed for both attack missions and to relay communications.
The USF, established on June 11, 2024, are the first military branch that a country has dedicated to drone operations in air, land and maritime domains. Led by Colonel Sukharevskyi, the USF operates both combat and research units and is involved in the development of systems such as the Tryzub laser weapon and the unveiled ‘mother’ drone.
Tryzub’s announcement comes at a time when other countries are making progress with directed energy systems. USA has deployed its high energy laser Palletized (P-HEL) for counter-drone operations in the Middle East. He United Kingdom has tested the laser weapon DragonFire mounted on armored vehicles, with the already mentioned plans for its operational deployment. The system Iron Beam of Israel It is designed to intercept short-range rockets, artillery and mortar rounds, and is expected to deploy by the end of 2025. South Korea he is preparing his laser weapon Skylight Block-I to counter drones, with operating costs of €1.35 per shot. China advances its high-power microwave weapons designed to disrupt satellite communications. And the French HELMA-P system It has undergone multiple tests, such as those carried out aboard the air defense frigate Forbin in June 2023.