India tests integrated air defence system with missiles, laser weapons

New Delhi: India on Saturday successfully carried out the maiden flight tests of its Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the Odisha coast, marking a significant boost to its layered air defence capabilities amid an evolving regional security environment.

The IADWS, developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), combines quick reaction surface-to-air missiles (QRSAM), very short-range air defence (VSHORADS) missiles, and a high-power laser-based directed-energy weapon (DEW).

The system was tested around 12:30 pm, during which three targets – two high-speed fixed-wing UAVs and a multi-copter drone – were simultaneously tracked and destroyed by QRSAM, VSHORADS, and the DEW at varying ranges and altitudes, the defence ministry said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the armed forces and industry partners, calling the achievement a “milestone” that strengthens India’s capacity to protect key installations from aerial threats.

The IADWS features a centralised command-and-control centre integrating all weapon platforms, along with radar and communications systems. DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat has developed the VSHORADS, while the Centre designed the DEW system for High Energy Systems and Sciences.

“All components of the IADWS functioned flawlessly during the trial,” the ministry said, adding that performance was validated by the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur. Senior DRDO scientists and armed forces officials witnessed the test.