Laser Trident against missiles, bombs and airplanes: Ukraine has a new weapon
15 April 2025 08:49
For the first time, Ukraine has shown a video demonstrating the operation of a new domestic laser system for destroying air targets, Tryzub. The footage was presented during the conference “European Defense Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defense Industry”. This was reported by Dev.ua, according to
The published footage shows the testing of the complex, including the defeat of a conditional ground target and countering an FPV drone on fiber optics. The video also shows the operator’s workstation with a joystick for targeting.
The video also revealed detailed characteristics of the laser system’s combat capabilities.
What is Tryzub capable of?
According to the available information, the laser system is capable of
– destroy attack drones, bombs, cruise and ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 3,000 meters
– destroy drones, helicopters and airplanes at a distance of up to 5,000 meters
– to carry out optical suppression (blinding) of drones, missiles, helicopters, and airplanes at a range of up to 10,000 meters.
Commenting on the video, Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, noted that Ukraine is now the fifth country to have laser weapons.
“We can state that today Ukraine is, if I’m not mistaken, the fifth country that can say it has a laser. Today, we can shoot down airplanes at an altitude of over 2 km with this laser,” Vadym Sukharevsky emphasized.
He also expressed confidence that there are enough manufacturers in Ukraine to continue working in this area, even amid a possible reduction in support from partners, including the United States.
What is known about foreign laser weapons
The U.S. Army officially launched the era of combat use of laser weapons. As reported by Wired, the weapon, known as the Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL), was developed by the American defense contractor BlueHalo on the basis of the 20-kilowatt Locust Laser Weapon System. The U.S. Army first used it in November 2022 to protect U.S. troops and allies from enemy drones from Iranian-backed militants in the Middle East.
In January this year, the UK Ministry of Defense successfully tested a new laser directed energy weapon system called DragonFire.
Last summer, the Australian Department of Defense reported on the testing of a portable high-energy laser called Fractl. As noted, this weapon is powerful enough to burn through steel and can hit objects as small as a dime moving at a distance of 100 km/h.
South Korea has already begun mass production of an inexpensive laser weapon that successfully shot down small drones during tests. As CNN reported last July, the laser weapon, called Block-I, “can accurately hit small unmanned aerial vehicles and multicopters at close range.” It was emphasized that each shot would cost only about $1.50.
