Taking note of Pakistan's strike capabilities, as observed during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force have decided to place orders for 16 indigenous drone detection and interdiction systems. These laser-based anti-drone systems would be capable of intercepting unmanned aerial systems as far as two kilometres away.
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Pakistan had fired waves of Turkish kamikaze drones towards Indian positions during the standoff, which were neutralised using Akash missiles-led air defence systems. The BSF is also constantly engaging drones entering the country from Pakistan, further underlining the need to prepare for the threat posed by UAVs.
The news comes at a time when the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is said to be busy developing long-range laser-based drone detection and interception systems. Earlier, India had field tested vehicle-mounted laser-based weapon systems which could target airborne UAV threats a kilometre away. It was the DRDO-linked Centre for High Energy Systems & Sciences (CHESS) that conducted the field demonstration in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
The Defence Ministry is expected to approve the procurement of the DRDO’s Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (Mark 2), which uses a 10-kilowatt laser beam to take out incoming drones, reported news agency ANI. "The DRDO has also successfully test-fired the direct energy weapon system, which can target systems at 5 km and is carrying out its trials with the involvement of the Indian defence forces. The 5 km strike capability will be achieved by a 30-kilowatt laser-based direct energy weapon," the ANI report said.
In April, India had joined the elite group of nations with the capability to shoot down fixed-wing aircraft, missiles, and swarm drones using a 30-kilowatt laser-based weapon system. USA, China, and Russia are the other countries to have developed the technology ahead of New Delhi.
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Every win in further improving the maximum range of Mark 2 and other laser-based anti-drone and anti-missile defence system offers a further boost to India's armed forces as modern battlefields are going to witness swarms of UAVs being launched at enemy positions.
