For the first time, India has successfully demonstrated a 30-kilowatt laser-based weapon system, capable of shooting down fixed-wing aircraft, missiles, and swarm drones. With this achievement, India joins an elite group of countries—the US, China, and Russia—that have demonstrated such Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) capabilities.
The Centre for High Energy Systems & Sciences (CHESS), under DRDO, conducted the field demonstration of the land-based, vehicle-mounted Laser Directed Weapon DEW MK-II(A) at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
The system successfully disabled surveillance sensors and caused structural damage to fixed-wing UAVs and swarm drones. DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V. Kamat called it just the beginning, highlighting ongoing projects in high-energy microwaves, electromagnetic pulses, and other futuristic Star Wars-like defense technologies.
