India’s DRDO aiming high with directed energy weapons for C-UAS and C-RAM

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working hard to field a demonstrator of a lightweight, mobile, 100kW-class directed energy weapon (DEW), according to reports from the Indian Defence Research Wing.

The DRDO’s vision is for a truck-mounted weapon to protect manoeuvre forces and is apparently inspired, in part, by watching the ‘drone war’ unfolding in Ukraine. While the lightweight variant is seemingly intended for the counter-UAS mission, the organization is reportedly also working on a 250-300kW variant, intended for the counter-rocket, artillery & mortar (C-RAM) mission. At a stretch, the latter device might also play a role in a layered air defence model aimed at shielding critical targets from cruise missiles.

The reports indicate a 100kW demonstrator might be shown “soon,” whereas a demonstrator for the larger weapon is still likely “several years” from completion.