Laser Weapons Could Reach Ukraine’s Front Lines Within Months, Military Says They Can Down Drones

Ukraine could receive laser weapons to counter aerial targets within the next 2 to 3 months, according to Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andrii Lebedenko on July 22.

Teams within the Armed Forces of Ukraine and private Ukrainian defense companies are currently developing these systems, as reported by UNIAN.

"It can already shoot down FPVs today and is already working against Shaheds. In the next 2 to 3 months, we will have systems that will allow us to hit air attack weapons even better than machine guns. This is such a prospect. Today all of this is succeeding," Lebedenko stated.

A prototype system known as Tryzub is currently undergoing testing at proving grounds. Back in December 2024, Vadym Sukharevskyi, then-Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, stated that Ukraine possessed a functional combat laser.

In recent years, several countries have reported successful tests of combat lasers. Reports have also emerged regarding isolated uses of Chinese-manufactured lasers by Russian forces and the deployment of laser air defenses in Israel.

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However, the operational effectiveness of combat lasers remains a subject of debate. Analysts from the American research organization RAND Corporation previously criticized the technology, describing it as flawed and better suited for range demonstrations than for actual combat conditions.

Ukraine was already testing laser systems with promising results, while Ukrainian forces achieved a 95% drone interception rate during a major aerial assault on Kyiv.

To expand these capabilities, the defense ministry announced a tender to purchase an additional 150,000 drones and focused on developing low-cost AI-enhanced cruise missiles to counter aerial threats.

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