India successfully tested the Mk-II (A) Laser-Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) on April 13, 2025, at the National Open Air Range (NOAR) in Kurnool. This 30 kW (kilowatt) laser weapon is designed to neutralize drones, UAVs, and other aerial threats, placing India in a select group of nations with this capability. The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) trial demonstrated the system’s ability to disable surveillance sensors and cause structural damage to drones.
Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) are a type of ranged weapon that use concentrated energy, rather than physical projectiles, to damage or disable targets. This energy can be in the form of lasers, microwaves, or particle beams. DEWs offer advantages such as high speed, precision, and the potential for lower cost per shot compared to traditional weapons, but they also pose challenges related to atmospheric conditions and potential long-term health effects. The world’s leading defence companies are working towards the development of DEWs. A DEW could also use a beam of sound for crowd control and other policing functions.
Directed Energy Weapons
Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) emit highly focused electromagnetic energy which is directed at the target, causing damage by heating, melting, or disrupting electronic systems. The specific type of energy used determines the wavelength and how effectively it can penetrate different materials. High-Energy Lasers (HEL) can be continuous or pulsed, delivering power outputs as low as 1 kW. Their precision allows them to target and melt metal, plastic, and other materials. They can be used to destroy or disable drones, missiles, and other airborne threats, as well as to damage or destroy ground-based targets. Millimetre Wave Weapons (MWW) operate in the 1 to 10-millimeter wavelength range, delivering more than 1 kilowatt of power. They can affect multiple targets simultaneously due to their broader beam. High-Power Microwaves (HPM) generate microwaves with longer wavelengths than lasers or millimetre waves. They’re capable of producing around 100 megawatts of power and can disrupt multiple targets within their larger beam area, and can disrupt or disable electronic systems, including those in vehicles, aircraft, and communication systems. Particle Beam Weapons (PBW), which are still under development, could potentially be used to damage or destroy targets at much greater ranges.
DEW Advantages
Advantages of Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) include action at the speed of light, allowing for near-instantaneous engagement of targets. DEWs are very precise and can be directed with high accuracy, minimizing collateral damage. They offer high cost-effectiveness and are potentially much less expensive per shot than traditional weapons. DEWs can continue to fire as long as they have a power source, unlike traditional weapons that rely on limited ammunition.
Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) can be used discreetly; radiation does not generate sound and is invisible if outside the visible spectrum. Light is, for practical purposes, unaffected by gravity and wind, giving it an almost perfectly flat trajectory. This makes aim much more precise and extends the range to line-of-sight, limited only by beam diffraction and spread, and absorption or scattering by intervening atmospheric contents. Lasers travel at light speed and have long range, making them suitable for use in space warfare.
Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) offer a spectrum of effects ranging from nonlethal to lethal, influenced by factors such as exposure time, distance, and target area. Moreover, they can be employed in a graduated manner. Nonlethal responses include temporarily disabling electronic systems or preventing access to specific physical areas or systems, while degradation involves reducing the effectiveness of enemy sensors or electronics. Lethal responses entail destroying or severely damaging targets by focusing energy to melt or incapacitate critical components.
Unlike traditional munitions, Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) offer benefits such as temporary and reversible effects. They can degrade or disable electronic systems without completely destroying them. DEWs are currently moving from the research and development phase to practical deployment. Many countries are investing in DEW technology, and the market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
DEW Challenges and Limitations
Adverse weather conditions such as fog, rain, and dust can interfere with laser beams and reduce their effectiveness. Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) can also lose effectiveness over longer distances due to atmospheric absorption and scattering. Opposing forces may develop countermeasures to deflect or disrupt DEWs. Additionally, DEWs could potentially cause unintended harm to friendly personnel or equipment, and their long-term health effects are not yet fully understood.
Taking Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) from development to operational deployment presents several challenges. Operationally, wide-beam DEWs can affect both friendly and enemy assets within the area of impact. They may also struggle against well-shielded targets or in environments where line-of-sight is obstructed. Additionally, international norms and regulations related to DEWs are still in their infancy and do not offer a clear framework to mitigate the risks of their use. Furthermore, there are open-ended questions about the ability of existing industrial supply chains to produce DEW capabilities at scale.
Practical Military Applications
Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) offer practical air and surface defence applications. Specifically, they are best suited to counter slower-moving and swarm threats such as drones, rockets, artillery, and mortars by disrupting or destroying electronic components and guidance systems. DEWs are frequently cited as having potential for missile defence, including against intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), but the technological challenges to such applications are currently prohibitive. The U.S. Department of Defence claims that DEWs have the potential to counter slower-moving missile threats such as anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles. The basic logic is that DEWs offer a lower-cost way to defeat less advanced aerial threats, allowing more expensive interceptors to be preserved for faster and more complex ballistic threats that DEWs cannot reliably engage. It’s also possible that DEW capabilities could be used against enemy surface boats and autonomous maritime vehicles, as well as adversarial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. DEWs will also be increasingly used to blind and destroy satellites.
Leading Global Players in DEW
In the United States, the Pentagon, DARPA, and the service-specific military research laboratories are all researching Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) to counter ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles. These missile defence systems have already begun moving toward operational deployment. China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, and Israel are also developing military-grade DEWs, while Iran and Turkey claim to have them in active service.
Some of the leading global private defence players are involved in the DEW market. These include Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, and Northrop Grumman, with significant contributions from Boeing, BAE Systems, and others. These companies are actively engaged in research, development, and deployment of various technologies such as lasers and high-power microwaves for military applications.
Lockheed Martin is particularly active in developing laser weapon systems for defence against various threats. Raytheon Technologies (now RTX) is known for its High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS), which has been deployed in multiple countries. Northrop Grumman focuses on solid-state laser technology and has developed a 500-kilowatt laser system. The Boeing Company develops compact and mobile DEW systems, such as the Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS). BAE Systems is a major defence contractor with expertise in a range of related technologies. L3Harris Technologies is a key supplier of components for such systems. Leonardo S.p.A, a global leader in aerospace, defence, and security, has capabilities in high-energy laser technologies.
Other significant players include Rheinmetall AG from Germany, which is involved in the development of DEWs. The French multinational Thales Group also has a presence in the DEW market. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd from Israel is another key player.
Major Indian Companies
DRDO, India’s primary defence research organization, is actively developing DEWs. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) are major players in India’s DEW market. Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC) is an Indian research centre focusing on laser technology for defence. These organisations are actively involved in research, development, and deployment of various DEW technologies, including lasers and high-power microwaves, for defence applications. The market is seeing increased investment and collaboration between these entities to develop advanced DEW systems for various applications, including countering drones, missiles, and other threats.
Simultaneously, the private sector is also developing laser and high-power microwave-based air defence and counter-drone systems through companies like Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), Adani Defence, Tonbo Imaging, Big Bang Boom Solutions, and Paras Defence.
DRDO’s DEW Program
The Mk-II (A) “Shahastra Shakti” is a vehicle-mounted laser DEW system. At its core is a 30-kilowatt high-energy laser. During trials, it demonstrated the ability to engage lightweight helicopters and long-endurance UAVs at distances of up to 3.5 kilometres. It showcased its full spectrum of capability by engaging fixed-wing drones at long range, thwarting a multiple drone attack, and destroying enemy surveillance sensors and antennae. It is evolving into the most potent counter-drone system, designed for flexible deployment from ground vehicles or naval vessels, and can be transported by air, sea, or road. DRDO intends to operationally field the Mk-II (A) by 2027.
The prototype of the Mk-II (A) DEW system has been under prolonged development by DRDO at the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), Hyderabad, in collaboration with the Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE), Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL), and Defence Laboratory (DL) Jodhpur, to harness the high power of lasers. The critical subsystems and components are being designed and developed indigenously by CHESS, other DRDO laboratories, academic institutions, and more than 15 Indian industries.
The cost of firing it for a few seconds is equivalent to the cost of a couple of litres of petrol. All three Indian Armed Forces are already using the earlier version of DEW Mk-I as part of their air-defence capabilities. The new system is capable of engaging aerial targets at greater range and, therefore, is a significant step in Atmanirbharta. This landmark achievement will also act as the cornerstone for all future development of high-power DEWs. Its success puts India in the exclusive and limited club of the global powers that possess high-power Laser DEW.
Strategic Defence Initiative
In the 1980s, U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) program, which was nicknamed Star Wars. It suggested that lasers, perhaps space-based X-ray lasers, could destroy ICBMs in flight. Several DEWs were examined by the SDI Organisation for potential use in missile defence. In July 1989, the accelerator was launched from White Sands Missile Range as part of the Beam Experiment Aboard Rocket (BEAR) project, reaching an altitude of 200 kilometres and operating successfully in space before being recovered intact after re-entry. No known weapon system utilising this technology has been deployed.
Israel’s Iron Beam
Israel is developing many DEWs, including the Iron Beam laser system, as part of its multi-tiered missile defence strategy. These systems are designed to complement existing missile defence technologies like the Iron Dome. It is being jointly developed by the Israel Missile Defence Organisation (IMDO) and the US Missile Defence Agency (MDA). The Iron Beam, developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, is a 100kW-class High-Energy Laser Weapon System. It is designed to intercept and neutralise various threats, including rockets, artillery, and mortars (RAM), cruise missiles, and drones. It is reportedly operational since October 2024.
Few Other DEW Systems
Active Denial System (ADS) is a millimetre wave source that heats the water in a human target’s skin and thus causes incapacitating pain. Vigilant Eagle is a ground-based airport defence system that directs high-frequency microwaves towards any projectile that is fired at an aircraft. Raytheon had announced in 2005 that field tests had been highly effective in defeating MANPADS missiles. The system is not operationally deployed. Bofors HPM Blackout is a high-powered microwave weapon that is said to be able to destroy at short distances a wide variety of electronic equipment and is purportedly non-lethal. The effective radiated power (ERP) of the EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar makes it a hypothetical candidate for conversion into a DEW by focusing pulses of radar energy on target missiles.
The Pischal-Pro anti-drone rifle was featured at the Dubai Airshow in 2019. It is a battery-powered electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon, held to an operator’s shoulder and pointed at a flying target in a manner similar to a conventional rifle. The device emits separate electromagnetic pulses to suppress navigation and transmission channels used to operate aerial drones, thereby terminating the drone’s contact with its operator and sending it out of control. The Russian Stupor is reported to have a range of two kilometres, covering a 20-degree sector; it also suppresses the drone’s cameras and has reportedly been used in Syria. The Ukrainian KVS G-6, reportedly used by the Ukrainian Army, has a 3.5-kilometre range and can operate continuously for 30 minutes. It can disrupt remote control signals, video transmission at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation systems.
A UK-developed system unveiled in May 2024 uses radio waves to fry the electronic components of its targets, rendering them inoperable. It is capable of engaging multiple targets, including drone swarms, and reportedly costs less than 10 pence (13 cents) per shot. Epirus Inc., a defence technology start-up based in Torrance, California, unveiled in March 2025 the Leonidas system, a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon designed to neutralise unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms.
Chinese researchers have claimed to have developed a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon capable of producing electromagnetic pulses with an intensity similar to that of a nuclear explosion. The US Army tested a high-power microwave weapon as part of the US–Philippines Balikatan 2025 joint military drills. This is the first time the weapon has been employed in the Indo-Pacific region and coincides with rapidly rising tensions with China.
During the Iraq War, electromagnetic weapons, including high-power microwaves, were used by the U.S. military to disrupt and destroy Iraqi electronic systems. The first officially known use of directed-energy weapons (DEWs) in combat between military forces was claimed to have occurred in Libya in August 2019 by Turkey, which claimed to have used the ALKA directed-energy weapon.weapon.
To Summaries
Mastering directed-energy weapon (DEW) technologies has long been the holy grail of air defence systems. While there have been global efforts to replace traditional kinetic weapons and missile air defence systems, the recent proliferation of much cheaper Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and the emergence of drone swarms as asymmetric threats have driven the demand for DEWs with counter-UAS and counter-swarm capabilities. This has been witnessed during recent conflicts like the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict and Houthi attacks on US naval fleets, where relatively weaker state and non-state actors are accruing disproportionate gains against their stronger adversaries.
Once detected by a radar, followed by tracking through an electro-optic (EO) system, directed-energy weapons (DEWs) can engage targets at the speed of light and neutralise them. This type of cutting-edge weaponry has the potential to revolutionise the battlespace by reducing reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage.
DRDO is also working on higher-powered laser systems, including a 300 kW “Surya” DEW with a 20-kilometre range. The Kilo Ampere Linear Injector (KALI) is being co-developed with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). KALI will generate high-intensity electron pulses, which can be translated into electromagnetic radiation in the form of X-ray or microwave frequencies. It will act like a high-power microwave gun, designed to destroy incoming aircraft and missiles with a “soft-kill” system that disables their sensitive electronic systems. India’s private sector is also getting significantly involved in directed-energy weapon (DEW) development.
The future is in directed-energy weapons (DEWs). DEWs are being designed to be flown on aircraft or housed on military satellites. Action is expanding. The DEW market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 16.16% and 19.6%. Specifically, one report projects the market to grow from $1.77 billion in 2023 to $6.96 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 16.16%. India must remain at “Full Throttle” to become a major player.
Note: The article was originally written by the Author for First Post on July 28, 2025, it has since been updated.
Header Picture Credit: U.S. Naval Institute
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