UKRAINE has unveiled its laser weapon dubbed ‘Trident’ that blasts aerial threats at the speed of light.
The Star Wars-style weapon can shoot down drones and planes from over a mile away and could give Ukraine an advantage as the Russian offensive slowly creeps forward.
Britain’s DragonFire laser could have been used to help with Ukraine’s designs[/caption]
Ukrainian troops will use the laser to shoot drones and planes out of the sky[/caption]
A Ukrainian commander revealed the existence of the weapon called “Tryzub” during a defence conference on Monday.
Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, who commands Ukraine’s unmanned forces, said Ukraine was only the fifth country to have an operational laser.
He said: “Ukraine has laser weaponry called ‘Trident.’
“It really works; it really exists.
“As of now, we can use this laser to shoot down aircraft at altitudes of over 2 kilometers.”
Tryzub is the name of the golden trident on Ukraine’s coat of arms and is the symbol of the country.
It is not yet clear how Ukraine developed the weapon – but they could have had help from a similar UK design.
Former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps suggested back in April the UK’s own laser weapon DragonFire could be sent to Ukraine.
DragonFire is not expected to be operational until 2027, but Shapps hinted they could be sent before it was “100 per cent perfect”.
The DragonFire is a cutting-edge laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW), which uses an intense light beam to cut through their target and can strike at the speed of light.
It is designed to shoot down attack drones, missiles, planes and even satellites with its 50kW beam and can hit targets the size of a £1 coin.
The range of DragonFire is classified, but the MoD said it can engage with any visible target.
The laser heats the target to over 3,000 degrees Celsius in an instant.
And as long as the gun has power, it will never run out of ammunition.
Ukraine is also trying to develop a “queen-drone” program – a larger unmanned craft that will be able to its carry drones and shoot them off.
According to Sukharevsky, the queen drone can carry two FPV drones while also acting as a repeater and striking deep enemy targets.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has become a watershed moment in the use of drones in warfare.
In a continuous humiliation for Vladimir Putin, Kyiv has used its comparatively inexpensive homemade drones to destroy his multi-million pound tanks on the battlefield or his warships in the Black Sea – capturing each morale-boosting hit in on camera.
Russia has also used the drones to kill Ukrainian troops and as vehicles to fly bombs into cities to kill civilians.
Secret plan to move Ukraine’s capital to London
By Ellie Doughty, foreign news reporter
UKRAINE drafted a secret plan to move its government to London before tyrant Vladimir Putin invaded in February 2022.
But when Russian forces launched their illegal assault Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky famously refused Western pleas to seek safe haven.
“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” he told the US, according to the Ukrainian embassy in Britain.
The embassy said Ukrainians were “proud of their President” as he stood strong in the face of danger when Putin was expected to be able to take capital Kyiv in just a matter of days.
Vadym Prystaiko, former Ukrainian ambassador to London, revealed details behind the London-Ukraine contingency plan.
He said: “As far as our work in London is concerned, we actually proactively wanted to offer the [Ukrainian] government a place to continue our work at the time of possible search for a place.
“When we talked to our colleagues in Britain, no one talked about a government in exile.
“They talked about the continuation of the [Ukrainian] government [from London].”
He added: “This was not a decision of the Ukrainian government.
“It was my proposal at the time, if needed.”
Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi[/caption]