Testing begins of Ukraine’s homegrown Tryzub laser weapon

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces is currently testing a homemade laser weapon named Tryzub (Trident), as reported by Vadym Sukharevskyi, the commander of the military unit, in an interview with the Interfax news agency.

“Today, Ukraine is, if I’m not mistaken, the fifth country in the world to possess a laser weapon. We can now shoot down aircraft at altitudes of more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) using this laser,” Sukharevskyi said .

Ukrainian specialists are currently working on scaling up and enhancing the laser’s capabilities. 

“It truly works, and it is real,” Sukharevskyi added.

The Tryzub combat laser, based on its announced specifications, is comparable to the U.S.-made LaWS and the British DragonFire, according to the Defense Express publication.

“For instance, the effective range of the American AN/SEQ-3 (LaWS) combat laser is reported to be 1.6 kilometers with a power output of up to 50 kilowatts,” the article says. “The British DragonFire also has a similar power of 55 kilowatts, and there were plans to send it to Ukraine for testing.”

Laser weapons work by focusing a powerful beam of energy, allowing precise targeting of moving objects, according to analysts.

“The fact that the Ukrainian Tryzub laser can hit an aircraft at a range of 2 kilometers clearly indicates that the precision targeting issue has been successfully resolved,” the article notes.

Currently, the U.S., Britain, France, and Israel employ laser weapons.