India to deploy laser anti-drone system on the border with China
The Indian Army has received the first batch of seven new Integrated Drone Detection and Interception Systems (IDD&IS) for use along the border with China, while the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is working on developing more powerful directed energy weapon (DEW) systems, including high-energy lasers and high-power microwave systems.
Publications. The Times of India notes that these mobile systems are capable of detecting and destroying drones at a distance of 5 to 8 km using soft (signal jamming) and hard (laser destruction) methods, with soft defeat covering a range of 2 to 5 km and hard defeat over 800 meters.
Developed by the DRDO in collaboration with Bharat Electronics, these systems are versions of the Mark-1, which belong to the Army Air Defense (AAD) and are intended to complement existing drone countermeasures. The Indian Armed Forces are planning to introduce improved versions of IDD&IS with extended interception range, given the growing military importance of drones and swarm drones, as demonstrated in various international conflicts, especially in the war in Ukraine.
Given the strategic challenges and the four-year military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, India is actively working to create a national program to develop electronic warfare (EW) and strengthen its defense capabilities by developing more powerful and effective systems to counter drones, in particular by expanding the range and accuracy of laser weapons.
