NEW DELHI: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is set to go for mass production for its 30kW-class directed-energy weapon (DEW) or laser weapon as it will seek an industry partner towards the system’s first-of-production model (FoPM) targeted within a year.The truck-mounted laser is designed to engage drone swarms, fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and surveillance sensors at ranges of up to 5 km. The system is designed for both soft-kill and hard-kill effects.A source in DRDO told TOI that the “final phase of system trials concluded last year and the new expression of interest will pave the way for FoPM”.“The inclusion of DEW MkII (A) in the services will boost their layered air-defence capability,” a DRDO document in the public domain said.The 1-2km-range DEW MK-1, developed by DRDO, is already in active production. The production is being handled by a mix of public and private sector partners like Bharat Electronics Ltd, Adani Defence and Aerospace and Astra Microwave Products to scale up indigenous manufacturing.All the three services — Army, Air Force and Navy — are using the earlier version of DEW Mk-I as part of their air-defence capabilities, according to DRDO. The 10kW system has been operationally utilised by security forces during Op Sindoor as an inner-tier, short-range anti-drone framework to track and destroy small UAVs at distances up to 1 km.“DEW is highly sensitive to the medium it travels through. Dust, sand, water vapour, and smoke absorb or scatter the laser’s energy. This reduces the amount of power that actually reaches and damages the target. Therefore the same weapon will be more effective in Ladakh, which has a clean atmosphere, than in a desert like in Thar,” the source explained.For a 10kW laser weapon system, designed for targets at a 1.5 km to 2 km range, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) were selected by DRDO as the primary development-cum-production partners (DCPPs). Last year, Apollo Micro Systems received approvals from DRDO for two transfers of technology (ToT) relating to DEW systems and EO Tracking System for DEW.DRDO is also developing DURGA II, a 100-kilowatt lightweight high-power laser weapon intended to target incoming missiles, artillery shells and low-flying aircraft. The defence R&D organisation has also planned project Surya (300kW), a long-term, high-power class weapon system with a projected 20 km range, envisioned for heavy-duty, ship-mounted, or strategic air-defense roles.
