‘Star Wars’ weapons: India’s laser warfare capability takes it to an elite club

In December 2020, The New York Times ran an investigative piece on what came to be known as the “Havana syndrome” that had sickened US spies and diplomats in Cuba, China and other countries since 2016. Citing a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, it said symptoms included dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and loss of hearing, memory and balance, most likely caused by a “malicious attack” involving microwave or directed-energy weapons (DEWs).The report sparked a major controversy although there was no conclusive evidence that this was the result of a covert operation by any of America’s adversaries. For the record, all three major powers – the US, China and Russia – possess these new-age weapons, which have clear and stated military objectives.Now, India has joined the race with the successful demonstration of a DEW—a 30KW laser beam capable of neutralising drones and static targets. It can also blind surveillance devices.Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the laser-based weapon showcased “a series of kills” at the National Open Air Range (NOAR) in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, recently.DRDO is also working on a more powerful variant of this weapon to counter cruise missiles, jets, and even artillery shells.This is just the “beginning of the journey”, DRDO chairman Samir V Kamat told news agency ANI, adding that his organisation is developing a number of technologies “that will give us Star Wars capability”. The Death Star, a fictional, moon-sized space station as shown in popular American movie series Star Wars, was armed with an exceedingly powerful superlaser capable of destroying an entire planet. CHESS DRDO conducted a successful field demonstration of the Land version of Vehicle mounted Laser Directed Weapon(DEW) MK-II(A) at Kurnool today. It defeated the fixed wing UAV and Swarm Drones successfully causing structural damage and disable the surveillance sensors. With… pic.twitter.com/U1jaIurZco

— DRDO (@DRDO_India) April 13, 2025 What exactly are DEWs?Unlike most military weapons that rely on kinetic energy (the energy of motion), DEWs use concentrated electromagnetic energy to “incapacitate, damage, disable, or destroy enemy equipment, facilities, and/or personnel”, according to a defence primer released by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS).While DEWs bring a number of different technologies under one umbrella, high-energy lasers (HEL) and high-powered microwave (HPM) weapons have stood out as the most effective ones so far.There are three main categories of DEW:Laser-based systems: The acronym, laser, stands for ‘light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation’. Laser-based weapons or HEL can be used by ground forces in short-range air defence (SHORAD), counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), or counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) missions. Radio frequency systems: They include high-powered microwaves (HPM) as well as millimetre waves. These weapons could potentially generate effects over wider areas than HELs, which emit a narrower beam of energy. This means, HPM weapons may provide more effective area defence against missile salvos and swarms of drones. HPM systems can also be used for non-lethal purposes like crowd control. Particle beam systems: A particle beam is a stream of charged or neutral particles (atomic and subatomic). Neutral particle beam systems hold particular interest given these could be used outside the atmosphere. However, particle beam weapons are not widely used in real-world military applicationsIndia joins elite clubDRDO’s successful demonstration of a laser-based weapon ensures India’s entry into a select group of nations, which have developed similar systems to deal with future security challenges. 120337907 medium120338409The US identified DEWs as a technology critical to enabling the 2018 National Defense Strategy and reported spending about $1 billion annually for the past few years on research and development.In India, the foundation for laser-based defence began with a 2012 research paper advocating indigenous development, The Economic Times reported. The programme took shape under DRDO, initially through its Laser Science and Technology Center (LASTEC) in Delhi and later through the Centre for High Energy Systems & Sciences (CHESS) lab in Hyderabad. Under the codename Sahastra Shakti, the aim was clear: create weapons to disable enemy drones, optics, and electronic systems.Here’s how DRDO has harnessed this key technology for military applications:medium nocaption120341351How US, China and Russia are faringThe US, Russia and China are known to have developed DEWs. The US military has been conducting tests of a variety of DEW prototypes since 2014, primarily for counter-drone missions. The US Air Force’s prototype Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Responder (THOR) recently completed two years of testing. Plans are afoot to increase the output of DEWs to engage more powerful targets such as missiles.The US Department of Defense requested approximately $789.7 million for unclassified DEW programmes in FY 2025.Beijing has been developing DEWs since at least the 1980s and has made steady progress in developing HPM and increasingly powerful HELs, according to a report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS). China has reportedly developed a 30-kw roadmobile HEL, LW-30, designed to engage unmanned aircraft systems and precision-guided weapons. Reports also indicate that China is developing an airborne HEL pod.China is additionally pursuing DE weapons to disrupt, degrade, or damage satellites and their sensors and possibly already has a limited capability to employ laser systems against satellite sensors. The US believes China “has already fielded a ground-based laser weapon that can counter low-orbit space-based sensors ... and by the mid-to-late 2020s, it may field higher power systems that extend the threat to the structures of non-optical satellites”.Russia’s research in DEWs, especially laser-based weapons, dates back to the Cold War era. The CRS report cited above claims Russia has deployed the Peresvet ground-based HEL with several mobile intercontinental ballistic missile units.“Although little is publicly known about Peresvet, including its power level, some analysts assert it is to dazzle satellites and provide point defence against unmanned aircraft systems. “Russia’s deputy defense minister Alexei Krivoruchko has stated that efforts are underway to increase Peresvet’s power level and to deploy it on military aircraft. Reports suggest that Russia may also be developing HPMs as well as additional HELs capable of performing anti-satellite missions,” the CRS report adds. medium nocaptionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj85qTL8Bx4The mysterious ‘microwave attacks’ on US spiesA study commissioned by the US State Department, as mentioned above, offered an explanation for “Havana syndrome,” which struck scores of US spies and diplomats, first in Cuba and then in China, Russia and other countries, NYT reported in 2020.The conclusion by a committee of 19 experts in medicine and other fields cited “directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy” as “the most plausible mechanism” to explain the illness. It implied that the victims’ exposure was targeted and that illness was not the result of more common sources of microwave energy, such as, for instance, a cellphone. Many of the officers suffered from dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and loss of hearing, memory and balance, and some were forced into permanent retirement, according to the NYT report.It went on to say that some of the afflicted officers complained that the US had failed to support them. “And with the government silent on the possibility of a foreign attack, many of the victims were left feeling that the public believed they had made it all up,” the investigative report said. In the absence of conclusive evidence, some analysts speculated that US adversaries such Cuba, China and Russia could be behind these attacks.The committee was not in a position to assess “specific scenarios involving malevolent actors,” Dr David Relman, a Stanford University professor who led the committee, wrote in a preface to the report, cited by NYT. Yet, he said, “the mere consideration of such a scenario raises grave concerns about a world with disinhibited malevolent actors and new tools for causing harm to others.”What are the challenges?Despite their emergence as high-tech futuristic weapons, DEWs have certain operational limitations. For instance, unlike conventional weapons, their impact on a target is not instantaneous but rather cumulative — requiring several seconds before any significant damage becomes apparent.Weather conditions, such as rain or clouds, can also impact the effectiveness of radio-frequency systems such as laser-based weapons. Microwaves or millimetre waves also have certain drawbacks. Unlike lasers, they are more susceptible to atmospheric dispersion, making it difficult for them to maintain a tightly focused beam. Besides, these waves can be hampered by conductive materials, limiting their effectiveness in certain environments.In addition to these technological shortcomings, there are ethical and health concerns related to the use of DEWs. Although there are relevant international laws and guidelines, their applicability to DEWs is not always well defined. Ongoing uncertainty about the long-term health effects of directed energy exposure has raised ethical concerns surrounding the deployment and use of DEWs, as highlighted by the NYT report.