The Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) are going to place orders for acquisition of indigenously-developed 10kw Direct Energy Weapon (DEW) system to bolster the air defence (AD) system against aerial threats such as drones and UAVs. Their need was felt even more during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

The more-potent 10kw DEW system, developed by the DRDO and manufactured by L&T, uses electromagnetic energy for destroying targets at least two km away.

Its initial version, 4kw DEW system, was effectively deployed along the LoC as part of the counter UAV grid to neutralise swarm drones used by the Pakistan forces to target civilian areas and military installations.

Senior Army officials said the Acceptance of Necessity (which is putting out a proposal for acquisition) will be put out in public domain sometime next month.

Sources did not disclose the number of 10kw DEW systems the Army or Air Force was looking to buy initially, but the total number of AD systems may go up due to the realisation during Operation Sindoor about bringing a balance between the kinetic and non-kinetic response to the incoming projectiles. The armed forces’ response was pro-kinetic in the offensive against Pakistan, sources said.

In the cost to kill ratio — now being debated to account for in the economics of warfare, the DEWs are seen as a cost-effective means to challenge threats from swarm drones and UAVs. Pakistan had used cheap probing drones to get positions of Indian AD systems and exhaust expensive response.

In times of war, the IAF takes over the command of the country’s AD system, with Army aiding the larger shield network of the armed forces.

Speedy manufacture

The DRDO may look for more production partners to lend speed to the manufacturing process of the 4x4 vehicle-mounted 10kw DEW system if the volume is high, sources stated.

The third more effective kill version, 30kw DEW system, is also in the development stage and will undergo user trial this year.

DEWs release high-powered beams, such as lasers and microwaves, to hit at vulnerable areas of aerial threat platforms such as motors and electronics to incapacitate them. They travel at the speed of light and instantly hit the target in real time with no flight-time delays.

With the DRDO’s indigenous development, India has been catapult into elite DEW capability posing nations, including the US, China, Russia and Israel.

The DRDO is likely to scale up the capability to develop 50kw and above DEW weapons to checkmate cruise missiles and shells.

Published on June 17, 2025