Ukraine's Tryzub laser weapon enters final testing stage to destroy Russian Shahed drones.

Ukraine is moving closer to deploying the Tryzub laser weapon against Russian Shahed drones, as Celebra Tech revealed on May 7, 2026, that the system has entered final testing with growing capability against FPV and reconnaissance UAVs. Also known as Trident, this laser weapon could give Ukraine a cheaper and faster response to Russia’s mass drone attacks by reducing dependence on costly air defense missiles while strengthening protection of critical infrastructure and rear area targets.

The latest Tryzub variant, mounted on a trailer, can destroy FPV drones at up to 900 meters and reconnaissance drones at 1,500 meters while testing continues for future interceptions of Shahed-type drones at ranges approaching 5 km. Equipped with AI-assisted targeting radar integration and automatic tracking, the Ukrainian system reflects the accelerating global shift toward directed energy weapons designed to counter large-scale drone warfare at lower operational cost.

Related topic: Ukraine deploys new Tryzub laser system to target Russian drones at high altitudes

Mounted on a trailer, the latest variant of the Tryzub laser weapon integrates AI-assisted terminal guidance, automatic target acquisition and tracking, and radar-linked trajectory processing to improve its effectiveness against Russian drones. (Picture source: Celebra Tech)

On May 7, 2026, the Ukrainian defense company Celebra Tech disclosed a new configuration of its Tryzub laser weapon integrated into a trailer-mounted counter-UAV system for defense against FPV drones, reconnaissance UAVs, and potentially Shahed kamikaze drones. The Tryzub (Trident) entered final testing during the first half of 2026 after roughly 17 months of incremental public disclosures by Ukrainian military personnel and the manufacturer. According to the company, the current version can destroy FPV drones at 800-900 m and reconnaissance drones at 1,500 m, while development work continues toward engagements against Shahed-type targets at distances approaching 5 km.

Available imagery shows a stabilized optical director mounted above a trailer-based support section containing electrical and control equipment connected to electro-optical targeting systems and radar-linked interfaces. No information has been released regarding beam wavelength, laser architecture, power output, thermal dissipation rates, or sustained firing endurance. The Tryzub laser weapon first entered public view on December 16, 2024, during the European Defense Industry conference in Kyiv. Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi stated during the event that Ukraine possessed a laser weapon capable of engaging aerial targets above 2 km altitude.

On February 6, 2025, Sukharevskyi confirmed that the system had already entered operational use against airborne targets, although no information followed concerning deployment areas or confirmed interceptions. On April 14, 2025, Ukrainian personnel released the first official footage showing the system operating against a stationary ground target and dazzling the optical sensor of a fiber-optic FPV drone. The footage also revealed that target tracking at that stage relied heavily on manual joystick control despite the presence of an optronic tracking station.

During the same presentation cycle, Ukrainian personnel claimed engagement capability at 3 km against drones, guided bombs, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, 5 km against helicopters and aircraft, and optical dazzling effects at distances reaching 10 km, although no released footage through May 2026 demonstrated engagements at those ranges. The current Tryzub configuration differs structurally from several Western laser systems already entering operational evaluation or limited service. Unlike the HELIOS system installed aboard destroyers or the British DragonFire, the Tryzub uses a towable trailer configuration, which is probably intended for relocation between fixed defense sectors rather than integration with maneuver units.

The trailer format likely reflects unresolved constraints linked to electrical generation, cooling equipment, beam stabilization, and optical alignment tolerances. Available imagery indicates that the Trident consists of a stabilized turret carrying optical and laser components positioned above a trailer-mounted support module likely containing power distribution and thermal management systems. Celebra Tech stated that the Tryzub is intended primarily for infrastructure defense missions, protecting logistics hubs, rear-area facilities, energy sites, and urban air defense sectors subjected to recurring drone attacks.

Therefore, this variant of the Trident does not currently follow the same model as the Chinese OW-A50, more suitable for continuous movement alongside armored formations or frontline maneuver operations. Celebra Tech reported that Tryzub currently destroys FPV drones at 800-900 m and reconnaissance UAVs at distances reaching 1,500 m while remaining under testing for Shahed intercepts at ranges approaching 5 km. Existing footage only demonstrates localized heating effects, optical blinding, and short-range drone engagements requiring sustained beam exposure.

During winter testing cycles preceding the May 2026 disclosure, the system reportedly engaged FPV drones in 7-inch, 8-inch, 9-inch, and 13-inch categories, targeting electronics, optics, structural elements, and wing surfaces. The latest version of the Trident now incorporates AI-assisted guidance, automatic target acquisition, automatic tracking, and radar integration to improve beam stability against maneuvering targets. As directed-energy systems require continuous beam placement on a small surface area long enough to produce structural failure, improving dwell-time precision became one of the primary determinants of lethality. 

One of the principal unknowns surrounding the Tryzub remains the system’s actual power class and thermal management architecture. Comparative reference points from foreign systems illustrate the technical challenge involved in sustaining hard-kill laser engagements against airborne targets. The AN/SEQ-3 LaWS operates in the 30 kW class, HELIOS exceeds 60 kW, Israel’s Iron Beam is estimated above 100 kW, and South Korea’s Block-I uses roughly 20 kW against small drones at shorter ranges. Existing Western testing indicates that destruction of drones beyond 1-2 km generally requires laser outputs between 30 and 100 kW, depending on atmospheric distortion, beam quality, target composition, and required dwell time.

For now, Ukraine has released no information concerning onboard generators, cooling loops, battery arrays, or thermal dissipation rates associated with Tryzub. Atmospheric conditions such as fog, smoke, rain, dust, and battlefield aerosols could therefore significantly reduce operational effectiveness compared to controlled testing conditions. The strategic rationale behind the Tryzub is closely linked to the economic imbalance created by Russia’s long-range drone campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure beginning in 2022 and intensifying through 2024-2026. Shahed/Geran drones impose disproportionate costs on conventional air defense systems.

Interceptors remain substantially more expensive than the targets they destroy: publicly cited procurement figures place Patriot PAC-3 interceptors between $3 million and $4 million per missile, IRIS-T interceptors near $430,000, and NASAMS/AIM-120 interceptors between $1 million and $1.5 million, while Shahed-inspired drones are generally estimated between $20,000 and $50,000. Directed-energy systems theoretically reduce engagement cost to electricity consumption, fuel usage, maintenance cycles, and component wear rather than expenditure of finite missile inventories.

The Ukrainian laser, therefore, appears intended less as a replacement for missile-based air defense and more as a supplementary layer against low-cost drones operating within short engagement envelopes. Nevertheless, the Tryzub program places Ukraine among a limited group of states publicly fielding or testing operational directed-energy systems alongside Israel, the UK, the U.S., France, South Korea, Germany, Russia, China, Australia, India, Italy, and Türkiye.

Unlike most NATO laser programs developed through extended peacetime qualification cycles, the Tryzub progressed through field experimentation during active wartime conditions with compressed testing timelines and direct operational feedback. Compared with systems such as DragonFire or Iron Beam, the Tryzub currently appears less industrialized, less automated, and more limited in demonstrated range, although its development cycle advanced more rapidly. Celebra Tech indicated that the project, led by 15 people, was financed internally rather than through publicly disclosed procurement contracts, while future scaling will likely depend on access to precision optics, beam-control systems, advanced cooling technologies, and stable electrical generation infrastructure.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.