What we know about the Ukrainian laser weapon ‘Tryzub’

Ukraine has created its own laser weapon called Tryzub, said Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ unmanned systems, on 16 December during a conference on Ukrainian-European cooperation in the defence industry.

“Today, if I am not mistaken, Ukraine is the fifth country that can say that it has a laser. We can already shoot down aircraft at an altitude of over 2 km with this laser”, quoted Mr. Sukharevsky by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ unmanned systems, engineers are working on strengthening and scaling up the Tryzub. He did not provide any other details about the laser system.

The development of laser weapons in the world began in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, but most of them were curtailed due to lack of funding and prospects. The active use of drones in modern conflicts, including the Russian-Ukrainian war, has given the development of laser systems a new impetus, as lasers can effectively counter strike and reconnaissance drones.

The US, russia, China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, and Israel have all announced the availability of laser weapons. In particular, the Iron Beam laser air defence system is expected to be deployed by the Israeli army by the end of 2025. The UK expects to put its DragonFire laser system on combat duty no earlier than 2027, although the British authorities have recently not ruled out the transfer of DragonFire to Ukraine for testing in combat conditions.

Ukrainian arms expert and former Ukroboronprom employee Oleh Katkov told the BBC in a commentary that the Tryzub could be the work of a Ukrainian start-up.

“I will not be surprised at all if it turns out that the development of laser weapons in Ukraine is the initiative and result of the work of a private start-up, not a state design bureau”, he said. “If the Tryzub is not just a prototype, but becomes a mass-produced product with high efficiency in combat conditions, it will be a real revolution.”