After Op Sindoor, India’s air defence gets ‘laser-sharp’ edge

In a step to further bolster its air defence capabilities, India on Sunday successfully conducted a series of maiden flight tests of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS).

The tests, conducted off the coast of Odisha, add new layers to India’s air defence network, which had performed creditably during the recent skirmishes with Pakistan (May 7–10). A notable addition to the system is a directed energy weapon, seamlessly linked through a chain of radars and sensors to intercept and neutralise aerial threats.

IADWS is a multi-layered defence system comprising the indigenous Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM), the Advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles and a high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW).

According to the Ministry of Defence, the flight tests were carried out on three different targets, including two high-speed fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles and a multi-copter drone. These were simultaneously engaged and destroyed by the QRSAM, VSHORADS and high-energy laser weapon system at varying ranges and altitudes.

“All weapon system components, including missile systems, drone detection and destruction systems, command-and-control networks, communications and radars, performed flawlessly,” the ministry said. The results were confirmed by range instruments deployed at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, which captured flight data.

The integrated operation of all weapon system components is managed by a Centralised Command and Control Centre, developed by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory, the nodal agency for the programme. The VSHORADS and DEW have been developed by the Research Centre Imarat and the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences, respectively.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the armed forces and industry partners for the successful development of IADWS. “This unique flight test has established the multi-layered air defence capability of our country and will further strengthen area defence for vital facilities against enemy aerial threats,” he said.