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NEW DELHI: The Army and the Air Force are preparing to place orders for 16 indigenous drone detection and interdiction systems. These systems can hit unmanned aerial vehicles at a distance of 2 km using lasers and disable them. The defence ministry is expected to clear DRDO’s Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (Mark 2). Officials told ANI that this version can engage enemy drones with a 10-kilowatt laser at 2 km. The earlier system could target drones only up to around 1 km. DRDO has also test-fired a direct energy weapon system that can target threats at 5 km. Trials are under way with support from the armed forces. This 5 km range will come from a 30-kilowatt laser-based weapon. In April, India showcased, for the first time, its ability to shoot down fixed-wing aircraft, missiles, and swarm drones using a 30-kilowatt laser weapon. With this demonstration, India joined a small group of countries, such as the US, China, and Russia that have shown similar capability. CHESS, a DRDO lab, recently carried out a successful field demonstration of the land version of the vehicle-mounted Laser Directed Weapon DEW MK-II(A) in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. It brought down a fixed-wing UAV and swarm drones, causing structural damage and disabling their surveillance sensors.Also read: ‘Nari Shakti’ in force? Military considers women cadres induction in Territorial Army, says reportGrowing need for anti-drone systems India needs these systems in large numbers, as recent conflicts at home and abroad have shown how heavily enemy forces depend on drones.DRDO is working on long-range laser-based systems after Pakistan used a large number of drones in Operation Sindoor, which Indian forces managed to foil. DRDO chief Dr Samir V Kamat had said the organisation is also working on other high-energy technologies, including high-energy microwaves and electromagnetic pulses, which are part of future advanced defence systems.
