Ukraine Has Made Stunning Progress with Battlefield Laser Weapons

The Tryzub is a case study on how to leapfrog advanced nations

For decades, the United States has flaunted its dreams of laser weaponry—glitzy Pentagon presentations, billion-dollar research projects, and dramatic sci-fi-inspired concept art.

And yet, when it comes to putting lasers on the battlefield, the US has somehow managed to make little actual progress. Meanwhile, Ukraine, fighting a war of survival with a fraction of the budget, just went ahead and did it.

Ukraine’s Leap into the Laser Age

While the Pentagon continues its proud tradition of PowerPoint warfare, Ukraine has deployed an operational battlefield laser, the Tryzub (Trident).

According to Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, this homegrown system is already zapping targets out of the sky at altitudes exceeding two kilometers. The kicker? Ukraine did this while juggling an existential war and navigating inconsistent international military aid.

Sukharevskyi has been dropping hints about this breakthrough for months. “This is an absolutely promising project,” he teased, before confirming that Ukraine has officially joined the elite club of nations fielding working laser weapons. He estimates that only five countries, including Ukraine, can claim this capability. The US, notably, is not among them in any practical sense.

What makes Ukraine’s achievement even more remarkable is that they have done this with limited resources and in real combat conditions.

Unlike the United States, which has had the luxury of decades of research without the urgency of an active warzone, Ukraine has been forced to innovate at breakneck speed. Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention—and in Ukraine’s case, that invention is a functioning battlefield laser.

The Tryzub laser system isn’t a futuristic concept—it’s already being used against Russian drones and aircraft.

Unlike the costly Western approach, where every new technology must pass through years of red tape, committee reviews, and contractor negotiations, Ukraine’s military-industrial sector operates with a lean, results-driven mindset. If something works, they deploy it. If it doesn’t, they fix it fast.

That adaptability is what has allowed Ukraine to take the lead in battlefield-directed energy weapons while the Pentagon remains stuck in R&D purgatory.

And this isn’t a one-off success story. Ukraine has a track record of rapidly developing and fielding new military technology, from long-range drones to remote-controlled naval attack boats.

The Unmanned Systems Forces, which didn’t even exist a year ago, are now leading the charge in integrating AI, robotics, and now lasers into their military doctrine. The Tryzub laser is just the latest example of Ukraine’s ability to turn battlefield necessity into cutting-edge technology, all while the world’s most well-funded militaries are still stuck in the ‘concept phase.’

Why Lasers?

Ukraine’s decision to invest in directed-energy weapons isn’t just for show—it’s a strategic necessity. Russian Shahed drones, supplied by Iran, have been an ongoing menace, and firing multi-million-dollar missiles at cheap loitering drones is not a sustainable long-term defense strategy.

The Tryzub laser offers an elegant, cost-effective solution: no expensive munitions, no logistical nightmares—just a concentrated beam of light taking out enemy assets.

Lasers also eliminate the need for massive ammunition stockpiles, a key concern given Ukraine’s reliance on Western aid. A single interceptor missile can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, while lasers operate at mere cents per shot, limited only by power availability.

The economic efficiency of lasers makes them particularly valuable when facing wave after wave of cheap kamikaze drones that would otherwise deplete traditional air defense resources.

Beyond cost, laser weapons provide an almost instantaneous response time. Unlike traditional missile-based defense systems, which require tracking, locking, and launching, a laser can engage a target in milliseconds.

This rapid reaction capability is crucial when dealing with fast-moving threats like loitering munitions, cruise missiles, and swarms of drones, which demand split-second countermeasures.

Additionally, lasers bring a stealth factor that kinetic weapons lack. While missiles leave behind heat signatures, debris, and explosive shockwaves, a laser strike is silent, invisible, and leaves no trace—other than the smoldering wreckage of whatever it just incinerated.

In an environment where intelligence warfare and electronic countermeasures play an increasing role, the ability to neutralize threats without broadcasting one’s position is a massive tactical advantage.

Another key reason for Ukraine’s investment in laser technology is scalability. Unlike traditional air defense, which requires complex logistics to move, store, and maintain interceptors, directed-energy weapons can be mounted on vehicles, ships, and even drones.

Ukraine has already mastered the art of repurposing commercial drones for military use—imagine what happens when those drones start firing lasers instead of dropping grenades.

In short, the Tryzub system isn’t just an experiment—it’s a blueprint for the future of warfare. By adopting and refining laser technology now, Ukraine is positioning itself at the forefront of next-generation air defense, setting the stage for even more advanced directed-energy weapons in the coming years.

A Work in Progress—But Real Progress

To be clear, this isn’t Star Wars-style vaporization of enemy jets. As defense expert James Black of RAND Europe pointed out, operational challenges remain. Weather conditions, power supply, and integration with existing air defense networks are all hurdles.

Fog, rain, and smoke can scatter laser beams, reducing their effectiveness. Energy consumption is another critical factor—fielding laser weapons at scale means developing portable, battlefield-ready power solutions that can sustain continuous firing without requiring massive infrastructure.

Despite these hurdles, Ukraine is making measurable progress. The Tryzub system is already operational, and specialized laser teams have been established to further develop and refine directed-energy applications.

Engineers and defense strategists are actively working to overcome power and atmospheric challenges, ensuring that future iterations of the Tryzub system become even more resilient and effective in combat conditions.

And let’s not forget—every groundbreaking technology faces early challenges. The first tanks of World War I were slow, unreliable, and frequently broke down, yet they paved the way for modern armored warfare. Ukraine’s lasers are in that pioneering phase, where each battlefield deployment provides critical data that accelerates real-world advancements—not just theoretical progress.

Meanwhile, in the United States…

The US military has been working on laser weapons for decades, with names like LaWS, HELIOS, and IFPC-HEL (because, of course, the Pentagon never met an acronym it didn’t like).

These projects have seen some promising tests, but that’s all they ever seem to be—tests. The technology exists, but somehow, it never makes it into active deployment.

The reasons? Bureaucracy, budget overruns, and a mindset that prioritizes process over results.

Unlike Ukraine, which has been forced to innovate quickly due to the immediacy of war, the Pentagon operates under a different set of incentives—where defense contractors and lengthy approval processes slow down actual implementation.

Even when the US does develop promising laser weapons, the transition from prototype to deployment remains elusive. Instead of rapid field testing and iterative improvements, these systems often get stuck in endless procurement cycles, delayed by politics, shifting priorities, and cost concerns.

Compare that to Ukraine, which has managed to design, develop, and deploy a battlefield laser while fighting a war. There’s no endless bureaucracy slowing down innovation—just battlefield necessity pushing the envelope in real-time. The Tryzub laser is not just a cool gadget; it’s a functional combat tool that Ukraine is actively using against Russian targets.

Sukharevskyi and his team are already looking beyond the current iteration of the Tryzub system. Specialized laser teams have been formed to integrate directed-energy weapons into Ukraine’s broader defense network.

Research is already underway to extend the operational range of these lasers, improve weather resistance, and increase energy efficiency to allow for longer engagements.

There is also speculation that Ukraine is exploring drone-mounted laser systems, which could revolutionize how aerial combat is conducted. If successful, these advancements could push Ukraine into an entirely new category of modern warfare—one where lasers aren’t just a support tool but a primary offensive and defensive weapon.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon will likely continue refining its PowerPoint animations of laser weapons ‘on the horizon.’

How Laser Weapons Actually Work

At their core, lasers are just highly concentrated beams of light, amplified through a process involving electricity, a gain medium (a special material that multiplies photons), and a beam director to focus the energy.

The high-energy lasers used by militaries today operate in the infrared spectrum, making them invisible to the human eye.

The first laser was unveiled in 1960, and since then, we’ve come a long way—from low-power laser pointers to industrial lasers that can slice through metal. Military-grade high-energy lasers take this to the next level, generating enough heat to vaporize or melt their targets. Unlike traditional ammunition, a laser weapon doesn’t run out of bullets—it just needs electricity.

The current state of laser deployments is a mishmash of different platforms and countries.

The US Army has mounted a 50-kilowatt laser on a Stryker armored vehicle to take down drones, helicopters, mortar rounds, and rockets. A few of these systems have already been sent to the Middle East for battlefield testing.

The US Navy has installed a 60-kilowatt laser aboard the USS Preble, designed to neutralize fast-moving boats, drones, and incoming missiles.

The US Air Force has been working on airborne lasers for years, including a 2010 experiment where a laser-equipped Boeing 747 successfully shot down a ballistic missile. While that system never made it to full deployment, the Air Force is developing smaller, more practical versions for fighter jets.

Russia appears to be investing in ground-based lasers to blind enemy satellites, making space warfare a very real—and troubling—possibility.

China has a portable, rifle-sized laser assault rifle that can permanently blind enemies up to 3 km away.

Ukraine is actually killing drones in actual combat with its Tryzub laser, and donated UK Dragonfire lasers.

But one of the biggest ongoing issues with laser weapons is that they require a massive power source. The smallest operational military laser draws about 10 kilowatts—on par with an electric car—while the most powerful experimental models demand 300 kilowatts, enough to run an entire neighborhood.

And because these systems are only about 50% efficient, the waste heat they generate is a serious engineering challenge.

Even the much-touted “infinite magazine” isn’t truly infinite—vehicles, ships, and planes can only store so much power before they need to recharge.

High-energy laser weapons will only grow more powerful and more widespread. As the battlefield shifts toward drone warfare and missile saturation attacks, lasers offer an attractive defensive solution. Future developments will likely push power levels higher, making them more effective against hardened targets.

Beyond the military, these weapons could have civilian applications, such as protecting critical infrastructure from drone-based terrorism. The days of laser weapons being pure science fiction are over—now it’s just a matter of how quickly they become a staple of modern warfare.

Still, I can’t help but get the feeling that Ukraine knows the limitations yet charges ahead anyway. This cavalier approach to weapons development should be applauded.

Ukraine’s rapid innovation in laser weaponry is yet another example of how necessity drives progress. With limited resources and a war raging on its doorstep, Ukraine has leapfrogged past the world’s biggest military spender and actually fielded a combat-ready laser.

As for the US? Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to stop talking about lasers and actually deploy one.

Ukraine just showed us how it’s done.

That’s it for today friends,

Слава Україні!

Check out my video from a couple of weeks ago on YouTube about the Tryzub and DragonFire UK: