Ukraine is developing laser weapons capable of shooting down aircraft at an altitude of 2 km

Only a few countries in the world have their own laser weapons. It seems that Ukraine is now one of them.

December 17, 2024 1:05 p.m

3 min reading

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Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of the armed forces of the Unmanned System Forces of Ukraine, whom we previously interviewed, announced the development of a new type of weapon – a laser weapon. The project, which is called Trident (Trizub), is already undergoing testing.

Details are scarce, as development was conducted in secret, so technical specifications remain unknown. According to Sukharevskyi, the laser can bring down an aircraft at heights above 2 km. He added that Ukraine continues to improve and scale up the laser but emphasized that the weapon already exists and works.

It is likely that the system will soon enter industrial production, and the number of installations will be scaled up for practical deployment. These lasers are expected to be aimed Shahed drones, which Russia uses to attack Ukraine almost daily. For example, over 5,000 such drones were launched in the fall of 2024 alone.

DragonFire, UK (Getty Images).

For Ukraine, this development is extremely important, as it depends on the availability of anti-aircraft munitions and missiles from its European partners. Another significant advantage is cost-effectiveness. Missiles cost tens of thousands of dollars, while a single laser shot only costs a few dozen dollars.

“We can state that today Ukraine is, if I’m not mistaken, the fifth country that can claim to have a laser weapon,” Sukharevskyi clarified.

That suggests Ukrainian military analysts Trident may share characteristics with the British DragonFire system. The British weapon has an output of 50 kW and a similar firing range of about 2 km.

Developing such a weapon is a complex endeavor. At this time, it is unknown when Ukraine started the project, who its partners were, and other details. Globally, very few countries have functioning laser systems. The aforementioned DragonFire expected to be deployed in the UK only in 2027.

Who else, besides Tridentavailable in this market:

USA P-HEL: Details are limited, but the weapon has reportedly been used successfully in the Middle East.
British DragonFire: The system is promised to Ukraine for testing in real combat situations. Initial tests showed 100% target elimination, with each shot costing only $13.
South Korean Block-I: Designed to take down drones and UAVs, it has already passed successful tests. South Korea is now developing a second-generation version that can target larger objects.
Israeli Iron beam: Unlike missiles that cost $40,000 per shot, each Iron beam shot is only $3. The system can target objects at heights from a few hundred meters to several kilometers. The Israeli government plans to deploy Iron beam within a year.

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Ukraine is developing laser weapons capable of shooting down aircraft at an altitude of 2 km

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