In a significant advancement for India's indigenous defence capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has announced the successful completion of all field trials for its powerful 30-kilowatt (30kW) laser-based anti-drone system.
Following these conclusive tests, the advanced technology is now ready to be transferred to private Indian companies for large-scale manufacturing, a move set to substantially enhance the nation's self-reliance in futuristic warfare technology.
The weapon, officially known as the Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (IDD&IS) Mk-IIA, is a type of Directed Energy Weapon (DEW).
Developed by the DRDO’s Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) in Hyderabad with support from other DRDO facilities and Indian industry partners, the system underwent rigorous testing at the Kurnool Firing Range on April 13, 2025.
During the trials, it effectively demonstrated its capacity to engage and neutralise aerial threats like fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drone swarms from a distance of up to five kilometres by inflicting structural damage and disabling their electronic sensors within seconds.
This 30kW system represents a major leap from DRDO's previous achievements in laser weaponry. Earlier in April 2025, a lower-powered 2kW variant of the IDD&IS was reportedly used to bring down a Chinese drone near the Line of Control (LoC), proving the operational value of such systems.
The Indian Army has already inducted 23 units of the 2kW system at a cost of approximately ₹400 crore. These have been deployed to provide aerial defence during critical national events, including the Republic Day parades in 2020 and 2021, showcasing their reliability in countering localised drone threats.
The successful trial of the more powerful 30kW system, nicknamed “Sahastra Shakti,” places India among an elite group of nations, including the United States and Russia, that have developed and tested high-power laser weapons.
Such systems are considered transformative for modern battlefields as they engage targets at the speed of light with immense precision and a lower cost-per-shot compared to traditional projectiles.
Looking ahead, DRDO is already working on even more powerful DEWs, with plans for 50-100kW systems and a strategic high-power laser weapon reportedly codenamed “Surya,” signalling India's long-term ambition to master this critical area of defence technology.
