New Delhi’s domestically-developed system uses a laser beam to demolish aerial threats
India has joined an elite group of countries, including Russia, the US, and China, in having the capability to deploy high-energy laser weapons to neutralize drones and other aerial threats, officials have said.
On Sunday, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), a state-owned entity, successfully demonstrated its domestically-developed Mk-II(A) Laser-Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system with a test conducted at the National Open Air Range (NOAR) in Kurnool, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
“The lightning speed of engagement, the precision and the lethality delivered at the target within few seconds made it the most potent counter-drone system,” the DRDO said in a statement.
According to DRDO officials quoted by news agency ANI, the system utilizes a 30-kilowatt laser beam to engage and destroy various targets, including fixed-wing drones, swarm drones, surveillance sensors, and antennae, with high speed and precision.
The Mk-II(A) DEW system was developed by the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) in Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories, as well as academic institutions and Indian industries. The system features a 360-degree Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor, which enables precise targeting of aerial threats.
CHESS DRDO conducted a successful field demonstration of the Land version of Vehicle mounted Laser Directed Weapon(DEW) MK-II(A) at Kurnool today. It defeated the fixed wing UAV and Swarm Drones successfully causing structural damage and disable the surveillance sensors. With… pic.twitter.com/U1jaIurZco
It has a range of five kilometers (3.1 miles) and is equipped with advanced electronic warfare capabilities, including communication and satellite signal jamming, allowing it to effectively neutralize aerial targets.
DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat told ANI that India has joined the US, Russia, and China in demonstrating a laser weapon system. Israel is currently working on similar technology.
Kamat emphasized that the achievement is just the first step toward attaining an even greater goal. He also mentioned that DRDO is working on other advanced technologies, such as high-energy microwaves and electromagnetic pulses, with the goal of developing “Star Wars-like” capabilities, of which the demonstrated laser system is just one component.
Last week, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, drones have virtually emerged as a new combat arm, if not a transformative science. “The majority of losses of soldiers and equipment have been attributed neither to traditional artillery nor to armor, but to drones.”
“Similarly, capacities in low earth orbit are transforming military intelligence, surveillance, positioning, targeting, and communications, taking combat to a new high,” he was cited by the Hindustan Times as saying.
DRDO is currently developing a more advanced laser system, known as ‘Surya’, which will have a power output of 300 kilowatts and an operational range of 20 kilometers. This next-generation weapon is being designed to counter high-speed aerial threats, including missiles and unmanned aerial systems (UAS), according to officials.
