NEW DELHI, — The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will begin the process of selecting an industry partner for its 30-kilowatt (kW) directed energy weapon (DEW) within the next six months.
Dr B.K. Das, Director General of Electronics and Communication Systems at DRDO, said the organisation will issue an Expression of Interest (EoI) during this period to identify a production partner. The First-Off Production Model (FOPM) is expected within a year and will then undergo further tests and trials to verify its range and other user requirements.
The truck-mounted 30 kW laser has been developed mainly for counter-drone operations. It uses electromagnetic energy for both soft kill, by disabling sensors or electronics, and hard kill, by physically damaging the target. The system can engage drone swarms, fixed-wing UAVs and surveillance sensors at ranges of up to 5 km.
The weapon was primarily developed by DRDO's Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), Hyderabad, in cooperation with other DRDO laboratories. It forms part of the Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (IDD&IS) programme and is intended to contribute to the broader Sudarshan Chakra comprehensive air-defence framework.
The system completed its final technology trials in August 2025. Earlier, during field trials at the National Open Air Range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, in April 2025, it demonstrated engagements against fixed-wing drones, countered a multiple-drone attack and disabled surveillance sensors and antennae.
DRDO has developed a series of directed-energy weapons with increasing power levels. The 2 kW system, with a range of about 1 km, has been combat-deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) and is already in production with partners including Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Adani and Astra.
The 10 kW system has a range of approximately 1.5 to 2 km. The Defence Acquisition Council has issued Acceptance of Necessity for 10 to 12 systems under the IDD&IS Mk-2 programme. BEL and Larsen & Toubro are among the development and production partners for this version.
The 30 kW system builds on this progression. In November 2025, CHESS had invited industry interest for technology transfer of the vehicle-mounted 30 kW laser, with a limited number of production licences planned. The latest EoI will focus on selecting an industry partner to take the system toward its production model.
DRDO has involved private industry, MSMEs and start-ups in its directed-energy programme. The 30 kW laser is intended to provide a cost-effective counter-drone capability as part of a layered air-defence system. Further development is also planned toward 50–100 kW directed-energy systems and higher-power platforms for larger aerial targets.
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