India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRD0) is exploring the potential of directed-energy weapons to transform the future of air defence. Using technologies such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwave systems, these weapons could help counter drones, missiles, and other aerial threats. 

The development of directed-energy capabilities highlights India's push toward advanced defence technology, improved threat interception, and next-generation military preparedness.

India is advancing its directed-energy weapons. In April twenty-twenty-five, the DRDO demonstrated its thirty-kilowatt class MK-two-A laser system at Kurn. The system successfully engaged drone targets and demonstrated the ability to disable surveillance sensors.

The DRDO's procurement records point to another development. On the fifth of October, it issued a tender for two gimballed pod units for an airborne laser directed-energy weapon. A separate procurement seeks an airborne battery system for high-power lasers.

In simple terms, the DRDO is working on the technology needed to aim a powerful laser accurately from an aircraft even while it is moving. The battery system would provide the electrical power needed to fire the laser, while the gimballed pod would help keep the beam steady and focused on its target.

From ground-based drone killers to airborne laser technology, India's directed-energy program is moving forward. The next step is turning successful demonstrations and development projects into reliable, deployable weapons.

Professor Haribu Shrivasta, a former Director-General of the DRDO and former director of the Aeronautical Development Establishment, noted that when a laser beam hits a target, it starts heating the material. When the material heats up to the melting point, the joint or material gives way, either deforming or burning depending on the energy deposited and time. If one side of a wing is burned, aerodynamic stability is lost, causing the target to fall down.

Directed-energy weapons fall into two categories: lasers, which use a single narrow beam to deposit energy and melt or burn a target, and high-power microwave systems, which disable electronics through high-magnitude pulses of electromagnetic radiation.

While ground-based thirty-kilowatt systems can neutralise targets for the cost of electricity—comparable to Israeli iron-beam tests taking down artillery shells and munitions—higher power levels such as one hundred to three hundred kilowatts are required for extended operational ranges.

Maintaining beam accuracy from a moving airborne platform presents complex engineering challenges, including line-of-sight stabilisation against platform vibrations and atmospheric compensation for refractive index changes caused by heating.

While high-energy lasers offer speed-of-light engagement and low per-shot costs, they remain fair-weather weapons affected by dust storms. Furthermore, high-power microwaves offer distinct advantages against drone swarms, making the two technologies complementary. Mastery over beam-combining techniques places India within an elite group of nations capable of developing advanced directed-energy systems.

Through advanced high-energy laser apparatuses and high-power microwave systems, the military aims to establish robust countermeasures against unmanned aerial vehicles, incoming missiles, and diverse aerial hazards.

This strategic technological progression underscores the nation's steadfast commitment towards modernising its military apparatus, enhancing precision threat neutralisation, and achieving peak operational readiness for future combat scenarios.

Global defence strategies are undergoing a profound paradigm shift as major military powers transition from traditional kinetic interceptors to light-based directed-energy systems. Recent international procurement milestones—such as substantial United States military investments in tactical laser systems capable of neutralising airborne threats for minimal financial outlay—mirror parallel domestic advancements achieved by the DRDO.

By successfully testing thirty-kilowatt laser platforms that effectively engage hostile drones and disrupt surveillance equipment, domestic military engineers have established a solid foundation for field deployment.

Operationalising directed-energy systems introduces sophisticated engineering demands, particularly regarding airborne integration and power management. Recent procurement initiatives for gimballed pod units and specialised airborne battery systems highlight ongoing efforts to mount high-energy lasers onto moving aircraft platforms.

Maintaining pinpoint beam accuracy from a vibrating, dynamic aerial platform requires advanced electro-mechanical stabilisation and sophisticated optical compensation algorithms to counteract atmospheric refraction and thermal turbulence.

While directed-energy platforms offer unparalleled advantages—including engagement velocities reaching the speed of light and negligible per-engagement operational costs limited primarily to electricity consumption—they also possess inherent operational limitations.

Experts note that atmospheric phenomena such as dust storms can impede optical laser propagation, necessitating complementary systems like high-power microwave units to neutralise saturating drone swarms through electromagnetic pulse disruption.

As research progresses toward higher-power thresholds and multi-megawatt continuous-wave sources, directed-energy weapons are poised to complement traditional interceptor arsenals, securing a formidable edge for future aerial warfare.

Agencies